The Baja California Attorney General’s Office (FGE) has issued an Amber Alert for a five-year-old girl who has been missing since March 25, when her mother died in a car crash on Avenida Internacional in Tijuana. Nearly a month later, no one has been able to account for the child’s whereabouts.
Bárbara Dyone Murillo Arellano was last seen the day her mother, 25-year-old Esmeralda Arellano, was killed. According to authorities, the driver of a white sedan lost control near Fraccionamiento El Soler and struck a retaining wall. Esmeralda was pronounced dead at the scene. Two other occupants were hospitalized with injuries.
Grandmother Says Authorities Have Gone Silent
Since the crash, the girl’s grandmother, Catalina Rodríguez, says she has received no information about Bárbara. Rodríguez told local media that authorities have not kept her informed about any search efforts or the child’s possible location. The FGE activated the Amber Alert citing the girl’s young age and the suspicious circumstances surrounding her disappearance.
It remains unclear who was driving the vehicle at the time of the crash or what relationship the other two passengers had to the family. Authorities have not publicly identified the driver or the other occupants.
Description and Contact Information
Bárbara has dark, wavy hair, brown eyes, and fair skin. She stands about one meter tall (3 feet 3 inches) and weighs approximately 20 kilograms (44 pounds). She has a mole on her left arm and another on her cheek, along with a white mark on her left hand.
Anyone with information about Bárbara’s whereabouts is urged to call 911 or the anonymous tip line at 089. Callers can also reach the FGE directly at (664) 104-2860 or (646) 152-2500 ext. 2560. Tips can be emailed to xochitlan.vera@fgebc.gob.mx.
Avenida Internacional runs along the border fence on Tijuana’s northern edge, passing through several residential neighborhoods east of the San Ysidro port of entry. Fraccionamiento El Soler sits in this corridor, a working-class area familiar to many cross-border commuters.
This story was first reported by Punto Norte.