The FBI is asking the public to identify a man who may be related to the abduction of 13-year-old Hania Noelia Aguilar, after the stolen SUV used in the kidnapping was found.
Aguilar was outside her home in Lumberton on Nov. 5. The incident happened while she was waiting for the rest of her family to come outside and drive her to school, the FBI said.
A witness said that a male forced Aguilar into one of her relatives’ vehicles parked in the driveway. The suspect was dressed in all black and wore a yellow bandana around his face, the FBI said.
The witness initially described the suspect as a black male during the 911 call, but investigators determined the witness had not seen the race of the abductor during follow-up interviews.
The SUV used in kidnapping Aguilar was found off Quincey Drive in Lumberton, North Carolina, before 8:00 a.m. on Nov. 8, after people said they saw the vehicle backed into the woods in a 911 call.
The authorities are identifying a man who appeared near the kidnapping scene. The surveillance footage released by the FBI shows a male walking toward the Rosewood Mobile Home Park where Aguilar was kidnapped.
The male was wearing light-colored shoes, a light-colored shirt, and a hoodie in the video.
“Several vehicles were seen on the video driving by. If you saw the individual on the morning of Nov. 5 or know this man, please contact our tip line,” the FBI stated.
The FBI didn’t say if the man was a suspect or his role in Aguilar’s case.
‘I Know You Have a Heart’
Aguilar was taken just before 7 a.m., and an Amber Alert was issued three hours later.
She is described as a Hispanic female with long black hair, brown eyes, and braces, standing 5 feet tall and weighing 126 pounds.
She was last seen wearing a blue shirt with flowers and blue jeans.
The authorities are offering a $15,000 reward for information that leads to Aguilar.
Andy Delarocha, a senior supervisory resident agent with the FBI calls the public to help. “Sometimes, people think they don’t have important information to share. Please, let us decide. Call the tip line,” he said.
Aguilar’s family is working with law enforcement and fully cooperating with investigators to locate the teen, according to the FBI.
Family members and friends held a vigil late Wednesday, Nov. 7, asking the kidnapper to release the teenager.
Her mother asks whoever took her daughter to bring her back home. “I don’t know who you are, but I know you have a heart,” she said.
“I just want my daughter back with me. I’m here waiting for you. I love you and only care about you. And I don’t have anything against whoever did this to you—I just want you back,” she said on Nov.6, in a statement read by Delarocha.
The Lumberton Police Department has set up a special tip line for the public. Anyone who has information that might help investigators find Aguilar can call 910-272-5871.
The FBI and police urge anyone with information to call the tip line or 911 immediately.
Zack Stieber from the NTD News contributed to this report.
