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

Josephine Monique Vargas







Vargas, date, approximate 2013; Jarrae Estepp; Franc Cano; Steven Dean Gordon
Date Missing 10/23/2013
Missing From
Santa Ana, California
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Female
Race
Hispanic
Date of Birth 03/31/1979 (43)
Age 34 years old
Height and Weight 5'2, 140 pounds
Clothing/Jewelry Description A tank top and stretch pants.
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Hispanic female. Red hair, brown eyes. Vargas has the following tattoos: the words "Key of My Heart Bobby" on her back, a star on her left elbow, and her middle name "Monique" on her shoulder. She goes by her middle name, Monique. She has a scar on her elbow and a Cesarean section scar on her abdomen. Vargas is right-handed and has noticeable dimples. She wears dentures and her ears are pierced.
Details of Disappearance Vargas was last seen at her home in Santa Ana, California on October 23, 2013. She attended her sister's birthday party, then left the celebration that afternoon, saying she was going to walk to a nearby store to purchase groceries. She has never been heard from again.
At first, Vargas's family thought she was with her husband and her husband thought she was with her family, and it wasn't until the 27th that they realized she was missing. They reported her disappearance at that time.
Investigators believe Vargas's disappearance is connected to the disappearances of Kianna Jackson and Martha Anaya. All three women frequented the same half-mile section of First Street, between Grand Avenue and the the 55 freeway, all of them were sex workers, and they disappeared within weeks of each other.
In April 2014, Franc Cano and Steven Dean Gordon were arrested and charged with the murders of Jackson, Anaya and Vargas, as well as the murder of 21-year-old Jarrae Nykkole Estepp, whose body was found in an Anaheim, California recycling plant.
Photos of Eastepp, Cano, Gordon are posted with this summary. Both of them have prior records for sex offenses against children, and are registered sex offenders. They were wearing GPS ankle monitoring bracelets at the time of their disappearances and weren't supposed to be around each other.
At Gordon's trial in late 2016, he represented himself and admitted to being guilty of all the charges, although he said Cano had actually strangled the women. He said their bodies had been thrown in dumpsters.
Gordon stated he and Cano had also abducted and killed a fifth woman, but this victim was never located, and it wasn't until 2017 that authorities were able to identify her as Sable Pickett.
At his trial, Gordon asked to be given the death penalty. He was convicted and sentenced to death. Cano has yet to be tried, and he has refused to cooperate with the investigation.
Vargas left behind three young children, one of them an infant. Her family stated it would be uncharacteristic of her to abandon her children. Foul play is suspected in her due to the circumstances involved.
Investigating Agency
Santa Ana Police Department
714-245-8600
Other
California Attorney General's Office
The Orange County Register
The Los Angeles Times
The Huffington Post
NamUs
LostNMissing
The Daily Mail
LostNMissing

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