The FBI is asking the public for help in locating a Utah teenager who disappeared last month while visiting family in Mexico.
Elizabeth “Ely” Gonzalez, 14, of Ogden, disappeared June 30 while visiting her grandmother in Mexico City, FBI Special Agent Steven Hymas said during a news conference Wednesday.
Surveillance video showed Gonzalez getting into a taxi and she has not been seen since. Investigators said they believe she was “manipulated by an adult” into getting into the vehicle.
Gonzalez, a U.S. citizen, initially traveled alone to Mexico on June 15 and was scheduled to return on Aug. 7. The FBI was notified of the teen's disappearance on July 1.
MOTHER RESCUED BY COAST GUARD AFTER DISAPPEARING DURING THUNDERSTORM OFF THE FLORIDA COAST
Elizabeth “Ely” Gonzalez, 14, disappeared while visiting family in Mexico City, the FBI said. (FBI)
An Amber Alert has been issued in Mexico, Hymas said.
“We have no reason to believe that she is not in Mexico at this time,” he said. “We believe that there will be people here (in Utah) who know something. They may have been in contact with friends or acquaintances or other family members who might know something that could help us.”
The FBI is working with Mexican authorities on the case, Hymas said. He noted that the FBI has to “rely on our partners” since the agency has no authority in Mexico.
“Because the incident occurred in Mexico, the FBI does not have jurisdiction and therefore Mexican authorities are leading this crucial investigation,” Fox News contributor and former FBI agent Nicole Parker told Fox News Digital. “But rest assured that the FBI's Legal Office and Assistant Legal Attachés (ALAT) in Mexico City will not stop until they find her.
SEARCH FOR TAYLOR CASEY IN THE BAHAMAS: MISSING AMERICAN WOMAN'S PHONE FOUND IN THE OCEAN, POLICE SAY
Elizabeth “Ely” González, 14, remains missing after disappearing on June 30 in Mexico City. (FBI)
“I have worked on cases involving Mexico,” he added. “And I can unequivocally attest that FBI Legat/ALAT Mexico City has a strong track record of working tirelessly, day and night, to recover missing American citizens and solve other complex and violent crimes, etc. And I believe this case will be no exception.”
Gonzalez's mother, Alma Soreque, told reporters she last spoke to her daughter on the morning of her disappearance. The two talked about how Gonzalez was sleeping and what she was having for breakfast. She said she received a call later that day from her family saying they were going to a store to buy soda.
Soreque said she immediately contacted authorities when she was told Gonzalez never returned.
“It's the worst thing a mother wants to hear,” Soreque said, adding that her daughter's disappearance is “one of the worst nightmares.”
Gonzalez, the middle of three siblings, had just finished seventh grade at Roy Junior High School, said her mother, who described her daughter as “smart” and “compassionate.”
An aerial view of Mexico City (Cesar Rodriguez/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Soreque said Gonzalez was visiting family so he could experience more of his culture and roots. He had traveled to Mexico City before and had never had any problems.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Parker said Gonzalez may not be able to communicate with his loved ones.
“Elizabeth is believed to have been lured into a car in Mexico,” he said. “If so, she may not be able to make any movements without supervision. But children are crafty and if she can access a means to communicate with someone about her whereabouts, she will do so.”
