Florida authorities issued an Amber Alert (search) for a 12-year-old girl who they believe was taken by a family acquaintance, police in Bradenton told FOX News.
Margarita Aguilar-Lopez (search), described as a Hispanic girl who is 4-foot-10-inches tall and weighs 65 pounds, may be in danger, said Bradenton Police Major Jeff Lewis.
“This is the first time she had ever met this gentleman, so the likelihood of her leaving on her own or wanting to leave would be very slim,” Lewis told FOX News.
Lewis said police believe Margarita is with Antonio Paulino-Perez, a 25-year-old man who is 5-foot-2-inches tall and weighs 120 pounds.
Margarita, along with two other younger children, were left in Paulino-Perez’s care at a Bradenton (search ) motel while her two adult brothers went out for about an hour Monday evening. When the men returned, Margarita and Paulino-Perez were gone but the other two children were still at the motel.
“The problem we’re having at this point is they are not U.S. citizens,” Lewis said. “We’re having a difficult time in locating these people … He may be trying to return to Mexico with the 12-year-old.”
Margarita was last seen wearing a white T-shirt and blue pants. The alleged abductor was last seen wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans, and he may have a scar on his forehead. Police said they may be traveling in a mid-1990s red minivan, possibly a Ford Aerostar.
Police responded to the motel around 10 p.m. Monday because of a battery complaint against one of her brothers, Rubino Aguilar, the father of the other two children. At the time, Aguilar did not mention or report that his sister was missing. Later, he told investigators that he and his brother were "too intoxicated and could not remember," according to the Bradenton Police Department.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the Bradenton Police Department at (941) 932-9300.
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