Police, family looking for girl

Released on = November 21, 2005, 7:01 pm

Press Release Author = SARA BOTT Daily Cmmercial

Industry = Media

Press Release Summary = WILDWOOD — Joaquin Burgos has not seen or heard from his granddaughter, Claudia Perez, since she left home on Oct. 5, 2004.

Press Release Body = Police, family looking for girl


05/31/05
SARA BOTT
Staff Writer
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Perez
WILDWOOD — Joaquin Burgos has not seen or heard from his granddaughter, Claudia Perez, since she left home on Oct. 5, 2004.

Perez, 14, left home around 4:30 a.m. on the 5th, Burgos said. He said he is very close with Perez and that is why he is so worried about her. Burgos said he feels she should have tried to get in contact with him by now.

Burgos said Perez is a caring and tender girl and is always concerned about people.

He said he was in a nursing home in The Villages for about five months and while he was there he received a call at the nurses desk. He said they informed him it was a girl and she asked if he was there alone.

“I just wish she would try to get a hold of me somehow and let me know that she is OK,” he said.

Lt. Bobby Caruthers of the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office said Perez’s mother, Rosemary Burgos, called the police about her missing daughter on Oct. 5. Caruthers said the police met with Rosemary at their apartment on County Road 242 and gathered information on the daughter. The mother told police she heard two knocks on the door
through the night. Rosemary said she went to the door but did not see anyone and the next morning her daughter was missing, Caruther said. She told the police she discovered her daughter missing around 6 a.m. Caruthers said Perez had taken all her clothes and left a note with the grandfather indicating that she was running away.

Joaquin said the note from Perez thanked him for everything he did for her, said that she loved him and asked him to tell her boyfriend that she was sorry.

The family notified all the local papers as well as the police, Caruther said. He said detectives and deputies have checked out Perez’s boyfriend’s house, motels and put out a Be On the Lookout (BOLO) report. Perez’s school Wildwood Middle School, also put a message up on their closed circuit television asking friends and classmates to give the school, or police, any information they might have on the
whereabouts of Perez.

Caruthers said the police have had several calls since the initial report. She was spotted at Wal-Mart and the police tried to get to the store in time but came up with negative results, Caruthers said. He said the station has also received calls stating she was at a specific house but when the police got there she was gone and those in the home would deny the allegations. Caruthers said the latest call was
about a month ago stating Perez was in an unknown trailer park in Belleview. He said the Marion County police were notified and nothing came of the tip.

“We have been to her boyfriend’s house several times, and a niece might have information on her whereabouts but is denying having any knowledge,” Caruther said.

He said the information concerning her case has been presented at several intelligence meetings, including ones in Lake County.

Caruthers said Det. Reese Thompson is the police officer in charge of the investigation.

“Any information that would help us locate Claudia we ask that they call Sumter Co. Sheriff’s Office,” Caruthers said. “We do want to find her and at least make sure she is safe and reunite her with her grandfather.”

For More Information
Goto www.geocities.com/findclaudiaperez

Web Site = http://www.geocities.com/findclaudiaperez

Contact Details = baxleyamand@hotmail.com