A search has been launched for a Texas woman and her two children who went missing over a week ago while visiting her ill father in Mexico.
Gladys Pérez, 39, and her children, 16-year-old Juan González and nine-year-old Michelle Durán reportedly disappeared June 13 while driving from Sabinas Hidalgo, Nuevo León to their home in Laredo, Texas via a highway that connects Monterrey and Nuevo Laredo.
Surveillance footage obtained by Univision shows González stepping into the front passenger seat of his mother’s 2014 yellow Chevrolet Sonic with Texas license plates NBX-4740.
Gladys Pérez traveled to Sabinas Hidalgo, Mexico, with her son, Juan González, and her daughter, Michelle Duran, to visit her father, who is ill. Her nephew, José Pérez, told Univision and Mexico television network Televisa Monterrey that his relatives were driving back to Laredo, Texas, on June 13 via Monterrey-Nuevo Laredo highway and that phone calls to them went unanswered. The family filed a report with authorities in the state of Nuevo León and Tamaulipas, which borders with the victims’ hometown of Laredo. The FBI is involved in the investigation. The three victims are all citizens of the United States.
Gladys Pérez was last seen leaving her father’s home in Sabinas Hidalgo, Nuevo Leon, on June 13 and was driving her 2014 Chevrolet Sonic with Texas license plates NBX-4740
Gladys Pérez (third from left to right) with her father (left); nine-year-old daughter Michelle Durán (second from right); oldest daughter Giromy Pérez; and 16-year-old son, Juan González
‘It’s really hard not knowing about them,’ Gladys Pérez’s oldest daughter, Giromy Pérez told the network. ‘It hurts because they are innocent.’
José Pérez told Univision that the family became worried after Gladys Pérez, his aunt, failed to answer their phone calls an hour after she had departed her father’s home in Sabinas Hidalgo.
He then tried calling González but was unable to get through. A followup call 15 minutes later was also not picked up, prompting the family to reach out to authorities in the states of Nuevo León.
Jose Pérez told Mexican television network Televisa Monterrey that they reached out to the FBI, who offered support to help find their missing relatives and offered them advice on ‘how to avoid extortions.’
Gladys Pérez, her son, Juan González, and her daughter, Michelle Duran, have been reported missing in Mexico. Pérez was accompanied by her children to visit her sick father in Sabinas Hidalgo, Nuevo Leon, and were driving back to their home in Laredo, Texas, on June 13 when they reportedly disappeared
Tamaulipas State Commission for the Search of Missing has been working to locate Gladys Pérez, her son, Juan González, and her daughter, Michelle Duran, since last Thursday
A spokesperson for the FBI in San Antonio declined to comment on the investigation when approached by DailyMail.com on Monday.
However the agency did release a statement encouraging members of the public to contact the FBI if a US citizen friend or relative goes missing in Mexico.
‘In addition, any threatening communication received in the United States must also be reported, demanding ransom in exchange for the release of a kidnapped victim,’ the FBI said. ‘Concerns about missing US citizens should also be reported to the nearest US embassy or consulate.’
Gladys Pérez with her daughter, Michelle Duran, and son, Juan González. The three are American citizens and have not been seen since June 13 when they departed Sabinas Hidalgo, Nuevo León, for their home in Laredo, Texas
A spokesman for the the Attorney General’s Office for the state of Tamaulipas, which borders with Laredo, Texas, confirmed to DailyMail.com that the services of state law enforcement had been requested by their Nuevo León counterparts.
The official said authorities are unaware in what stretch of the Monterrey-Nuevo Laredo highway the family disappeared from.
However, since November 2020 there have been at least 60 people reported missing while transiting along Monterrey-Nuevo Laredo highway in Tamaulipas.
Tamaulipas is one of five states in Mexico for which the US Department of States issued a ‘do not travel warning’ due to crime and kidnapping.