Missing Person Photos
A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are unknown. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2 to 5 percent of missing children in Europe.
By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends.
A number of organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and images of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece.
Resources for Missing Persons
According to current statistics, 4,000 people in the United States go missing every day.
Sometimes a child suddenly vanishes from the bus stop or the local park or even from their own yard or bedroom. Or a teenager doesn�t return home after a walk to the neighborhood grocery store or a bike ride or a party with friends.
Other times, an adult is mysteriously absent from their job or neighbors haven�t seen them for several days, and family and friends haven�t heard from them either.
Missing Person Photos
Laura Ayala
Laura, date, approximate 2002; Van similar to vehicle reportedly seen at the time of Laura's disappearance; Walter Alexander Sorto; Edgardo Rafael Cubas
Date Missing 03/10/2002
Missing From
Houston, Texas
Missing Classification Non-Family Abduction
Sex Female
Race
Hispanic
Date of Birth 10/29/1988 (33)
Age 13 years old
Height and Weight 4'0, 90 pounds
Clothing/Jewelry Description A blue and white checkered dress and probably no socks or shoes.
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Hispanic female. Black hair, brown eyes. Laura has brown highlights in her hair. She wore a full set of orthodontic braces on her teeth at the time of her March 2002 disappearance. She speaks fluent English and Spanish. Laura has a scar on her upper right arm. Her ears are pierced. Some agencies may list Laura's hair color as brown with blonde highlights.
Details of Disappearance Laura resided in an apartment complex in the 7930 block of Serita Street in Houston, Texas. She asked her mother for money to purchase a newspaper for a school assignment during the evening hours of March 10, 2002.
Laura departed from her home at approximately 10:15 p.m. and walked to the Broadway Convenience Store, which is less than 100 feet behind her residence. The store is housed inside the Conoco gas station in the 2600 block of Broadway Street. An employee told authorities that Laura arrived at the store alone and bought a newspaper, then left shortly afterwards. She has never been heard from again.
Laura's mother became concerned when her daughter failed to return home and walked to the store herself. She reported Laura as a missing child shortly thereafter. Laura's shoes and her newspaper were discovered scattered inside a parking lot between her apartment complex and the gas station later that evening. An extensive search of the area produced no clues as to her whereabouts.
A resident near Broadway Street reported seeing the van at approximately 10:00 p.m. on the night of Laura's disappearance. The witness did not contact law enforcement officials until April 2002, one month after Laura vanished; he stated that at the time he had not realized the significance of what he saw. He said the van's sliding door was open and reported observing an unidentified Hispanic or Caucasian male near the scene. The vehicle was parked in the same lot where Laura's shoes and newspaper were discovered.
In February 2003, Laura's disappearance was linked to three men: Walter Alexander Sorto, Edgardo Rafael Cubas, and Eduardo Navarro. Photographs of Sorto and Cubas are posted with this summary. Sorto is from El Salvador and Cubas is from Honduras. They went on a crime spree of robberies, rapes and murders in the predominantly Hispanic east side of Houston. Navarro was charged with driving the getaway car; he was not directly involved in the murders.
Blood found in a SUV belonging to Cubas's father was linked to Laura's DNA. Cubas admitted that he, Sorto, and Navarro occasionally borrowed the vehicle. Semen matching one of the suspects was also located in the car. Cubas and Sorto were charged with capital murder in the deaths of two adult waitresses and a fifteen-year-old girl. Navarro was charged in the same offenses, but could not face the death penalty because he was only fifteen years old at the time of the crimes.
Sorto and Cubas were ultimately convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death; both are awaiting execution. Navarro pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of aggravated robbery and was sentenced to thirteen years in prison. None of the suspects were charged in Laura's due to lack of evidence.
Laura's favorite color is maroon and her favorite number is one. She is described as having a shy, reserved nature and is very organized. She enjoys journal-keeping and records her activities. Foul play is suspected in Laura's disappearance, but no charges have been filed in her .
Investigating Agency
Houston Police Department
713-731-5223
Other
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
America's Most Wanted
The Polly Klaas Foundation
Texas Department of Public Safety
KPRC-2
KTRK-TV
The Houston Chronicle
Murderpedia
Missing Person Photos
A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are unknown. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2 to 5 percent of missing children in Europe.
By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends.
A number of organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and images of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece.
Resources for Missing Persons
According to current statistics, 4,000 people in the United States go missing every day.
Sometimes a child suddenly vanishes from the bus stop or the local park or even from their own yard or bedroom. Or a teenager doesn�t return home after a walk to the neighborhood grocery store or a bike ride or a party with friends.
Other times, an adult is mysteriously absent from their job or neighbors haven�t seen them for several days, and family and friends haven�t heard from them either.
Missing Person Photos
