It has been more than a week since Aranda Briones’s family saw the 16-year-old, and they are getting desperate.
Aranda disappeared on Jan. 13 after she was dropped off by a friend at a park to meet friends.
The friend who drove Briones to Moreno Valley Community Park, in her home town of Moreno Valley, California, said the teen got into a gray, four-door car. Shortly after, her phone went dead.
No one was reported as seeing her since.
Her uncle, Matthew Horstkotte, told ABC News that he was sure her friends knew more than they were saying.
“Nowadays, you know teenagers want to cover up for a friend, or someone says, I don’t want to tell because I’m scared,” he said.
“But just come forward,” he pleaded. “The only person you’re hurting right now is Aranda.”
No Sign on Surveillance Videos
Moreno Valley police have examined every moment of potentially relevant video from every one of the citywide surveillance camera systems, and have not found a trace of the missing girl.
A post on the Moreno Valley Police Facebook site on Jan. 18 stated, “Moreno Valley Police have utilized every available resource, to include the anti-human trafficking team and the FBI in an effort to locate Aranda Briones.”
The police have established a tip line, hoping people will call. So far, none of the tips have yielded useful information.
Mixed Signals From Social Media
Like many modern teens, Aranda was active on many social media networks. Along with a Snapchat account, the teen had at least three Instagram accounts.
The last signals sent from her phone put Aranda in the town of Rubidoux, about 5 miles northwest of Moreno Valley.
However, one of Aranda’s final Snapchat posts came from Riverdale, about 120 miles northwest, USA News reported.
When a friend who saw the post asked what she was doing in Riverdale, the location marker on Aranda’s phone was shut down.
Possibly the message meant to say “Riverside,” which is a community 3 miles west of the Aranda’s home and a mile or two south of Rubidoux.
Lisa Bustos, responding to the Moreno Valley Police Department Facebook post, said, “She was seen at my work by one off the security guards. see if my work can show police the video tape on cottonwood and Frederick 99 cents store.”
The sighting is not yet confirmed, but the 99 cent store is quite near the park where Aranda was last seen.
‘I Just Want Her Home Safe’
Friends organized a search for Aranda on Jan. 20. Nothing turned up.
There is also a Facebook page devoted to locating the lost teen: “Help us find aranda briones”
In a post on that site, Ang King asked, “Anything new, tips, leads, sightings? I feel like this girl needs more media attention, maybe national attention not just local if it’s not bringing in enough leads.”
The days tick by, though, and nothing new has developed.
“Nine days on a missing person case—obviously with each passing second, each passing minute, each passing day—from a law enforcement standpoint, we don’t like it,” Moreno Valley police Sgt. Chris Willison Told ABC News.
Aranda’s uncle, Matthew Horstkotte, made a simple summary of the situation:
“She did have a bad choice of friends, I’ll be honest, you know everybody does,” Horstkotte said. “Everybody makes mistakes, but you know one thing I want? I just want her home safe.”
