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

Monica Cassandra Carrasco










Monica, date, approximate 2003; Age-progression to age 33 (date, approximate 2019)
Date Missing 10/02/2003
Missing From
Balmorhea, Texas
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Female
Race
Hispanic
Date of Birth 12/13/1986 (35)
Age 16 years old
Height and Weight 5'5, 100 - 111 pounds
Clothing/Jewelry Description A long beige or white nightgown and no shoes or socks. Possibly carrying a large white or black Bible.
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Hispanic female. Dark brown hair, dark brown eyes. Monica had red streaks in her hair when she was last seen. She has pierced ears, a chicken pox scar on her forehead near her hairline, a small light-colored mole on her left cheek, and dimples in both cheeks.
Details of Disappearance Monica was last seen at her aunt and uncle's home four miles east of Balmorhea, Texas in the early morning hours of October 2, 2003. Two cousins saw her go to bed at 11:00 p.m. the night before. They checked on her at 1:30 a.m. and she was in bed asleep. By 7:30 a.m., however, she was gone, and her Bible had disappeared with her.
Extensive searches of the area around Monica's aunt and uncle's home have yielded no clues as to her whereabouts. The terrain is rugged with many rocks, thorns and cactuses, and would have been painful to walk in without shoes. Monica may have left the Balmorhea area to meet someone, possibly an individual she contacted through the Internet. Her aunt and uncle believe she may have become disoriented from her medications, left the house, and gotten a ride with a passing motorist, possibly on Highway 17 which runs near their home.
A bus driver allegedly harassed Monica in May 2003, five months before her disappearance. She did not report the incident to any official authority, but was so shaken by it that she refused to take the bus to school after that. The bus driver was interviewed and has been ruled out as a suspect in her disappearance, but Monica's uncle failed a lie detector test in relation to her .
While Monica apparently left the house of her own accord, police believe she may be in danger. She became depressed following her father's death from bone cancer in 2000 and was hospitalized for the depression and anorexia nervosa after losing over fifty pounds. After she was released from the hospital, she decided to live with her aunt and uncle because she was angry with her mother. Monica's mother says their relationship problems were not serious, however, and she does not believe her daughter ran away.
Monica was a junior at Alpine High School at the time of her disappearance and is described as a very religious person. Her remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
Reeves County Sheriff's Office
432-445-4901
Other
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
The Laura Recovery Center
Perverted Justice
Pecos Country of West Texas
Texas EquuSearch
Alpine Avalanche
OA Online
Texas Department of Public Safety
The Crime Library
The Desert-Mountain Times
The Polly Klaas Foundation
North American Missing Persons Network
MySpace Page for Monica Carrasco
News West 9

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