Sofia Juarez adored playing with her Barbies, putting on makeup, and eating her favorite cheeseburgers from Burger King. The vivacious little girl was incredibly excited to celebrate her 5th birthday on February 5, 2003, but she would never get the chance to blow out her candles. Sofia vanished without a trace just a few hours before midnight.
Sofia lived in Kennewick, Washington with her 20-year-old mom, Maria Juarez, her grandmother Ignacia Juarez, Ignacia’s boyfriend Jose Lopez Torres, four uncles, and two aunts some as young as age six. Sofia’s biological father lived in Mexico and he was not at all involved in her life.
On February 4, 2003, sometime between 8:15 pm and 9:15 pm, Jose realized they were low on milk and asked the children if any of them wanted to accompany him on a trip to a nearby convenience store. None of the kids wanted to go, so Jose grabbed his wallet, got into his car, and took off.
Seconds later, Sofia decided she wanted to go to the store after all. She ran up to her mom who was doing laundry in another room and asked for permission. Maria later recalled that Sofia was so excited, she put her shoes on the wrong feet. After fixing her shoes, Maria gave her daughter $1 to get a treat at the store. Sofia kissed her mom goodbye and hurried off.
In Maria’s mind, Jose was waiting for Sofia outside. They would later come to find out that he was already pulling out of the driveway by the time Sofia made it there and he drove off, unaware she was trying to catch up to him.
Once Jose got to the store, he used a payphone (and a calling card) to contact his family back home in Mexico as they had just suffered an earthquake. None of his calls went through and after 40 minutes, Jose gave up. He walked into the store, bought milk, and drove home.
Jose walked in the door at 9:45 pm alone and Maria asked him where Sofia was. Jose told Maria that he had gone to the store alone. It was at that point they realized what had happened, and that little Sofia was missing.
Maria called the police at 9:53 pm and officers were at the scene within three minutes. Local authorities were quickly joined by the FBI, and together they set up a meeting point right near Sofia’s home. Hundreds of concerned people from neighboring towns showed up, some volunteered to participate in foot searches, and others provided warm meals and coffee.
Investigators searched Sofia’s home multiple times to make sure that she wasn’t hiding. They conducted a canvass of the neighborhood and checked every nearby body of water. They searched wells in case Sofia had accidentally fallen in and spoke to every registered sex offender living in the neighborhood, ultimately expanding their search to the entire city.
The first ever Amber Alert in Washington was released for Sofia but it was canceled 36 hours later with no sign of her. She was never seen again.
The authorities questioned and ruled out all of Sofia’s relatives including her biological father. Maria was described as a frantic mother who was as terrified as one would expect her to be. Jose’s story was confirmed through CCTV footage of him at the store and gas and milk receipts. Investigators would quickly determine that Sofia had been abducted by a stranger.
Shortly after Sofia vanished, a woman called the police claiming she may have witnessed the abduction. She said she saw a little girl walking along E 15 Ave & S Washington St (where Sofia lived) after 9 pm. She correctly identified her clothing which had not yet been released to the public.
The woman said that a Hispanic boy between the ages of 11 to 14 guided Sofia toward a light-colored van sitting in the middle of the road with its turn signal on. She said the boy was laughing while Sofia cried. She described him as “baby-faced” with a light complexion and large hands.
The van was described as a vehicle similar to one owned by a painter or a construction worker. It was a late 70s or early 80s full-sized panel van and it did not have any passenger-side windows.
It has not yet been determined whether a second individual ordered the teenage boy to lure Sofia to the van. The boy has never been identified. Today, he would be 32 to 35 years old.
A year after Sofia disappeared, Maria moved to California and got married. She gave birth to a son in 2008. Sadly, she passed away a year later from medical complications. According to loved ones, Maria never lost hope that Sofia was out there, alive and well, perhaps even with a whole new family.
Sofia was last seen wearing a red long-sleeved top, blue overalls, lavender socks, white sneakers, and gold hoop earrings. Today, she would be 28.
A local couple is offering a $10,000 reward for any information leading to Sofia Juarez’s whereabouts. If you know anything, contact Kennewick Police Department at 509-585-4208