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 Case Updates with Photos

Esther Valdez





Esther, date, approximate 1984; Age-progression to age 49 (date, approximate 2016)
Date Missing 09/07/1984
Missing From
Chama, New Mexico
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Female
Race
Hispanic
Date of Birth 03/26/1967 (55)
Age 17 years old
Height and Weight 4'11, 110 pounds
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Hispanic female. Brown hair, brown eyes. Esther has one ear pierced. She has burn scars under her right arm and on the right side of her neck. Some agencies spell her name "Ester."
Details of Disappearance Esther was last seen after school in Chama, New Mexico on September 7, 1984. She and her best friend, Cindy Redwine, picked up their paychecks from the Branding Iron restaurant, where they worked as dishwashers, and then drank whiskey and visited the grave of Esther's baby sister, who had died several years earlier.
At the gravesite, Esther told Redwine she loved her parents and tired of hurting them. The friends separated afterwards. At approximately midnight, Esther went to Redwine's house, accompanied by an older man. They invited her to go camping. Redwine refused and told Esther not go either. Esther and her male friend left in the man's Bronco.
Esther has never been heard from again, but a few days later, her wallet was found in Chama. There were possible sightings of her in Colorado and the New Mexico cities of Albuquerque and Farmington after her disappearance, but none of these reports were confirmed.
Redwine stated she knew the man Esther was last seen with and asked him where she had gone, and he said he had left her at Redwine's house. She told him she knew his story was untrue, and he denied having harmed her.
This individual apparently left the Albuquerque area sometime after Esther's disappearance. He has not been publicly identified.
At the time of her disappearance, Esther was scheduled to appear as a witness in the trial of a bar owner. He had been cited for allowing her into Ben's Lounge when she was underage. She disappeared before the trial took place.
It is unclear whether Esther's scheduled testimony has anything to do with her disappearance. However, after she went missing, her family and friends heard rumors that she was murdered at a party at Ben's Lounge on the night she vanished.
Esther was a student at Escalante High School in 1984, and had five younger siblings. She dreamed of becoming a beautician. She drank occasionally and dated older men, and she had previously run away from home for short periods, but she has never been gone for this long. Her remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
New Mexico State Police
505-827-9126
505-827-9300
Other
The Doe Network
The Albuquerque Journal
MySpace Page for Esther Valdez
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
NamUs

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 Case Updates with Photos