It has been more than a year since kidnappers took Enma Galicia-Carias from her parents' home in Jalapa, Guatemala, with the intention of selling her for adoption, say local police. Experts say the chances of finding a missing child diminishes drastically with each passing day. She is one of thousands of missing children in Guatemala whose cases go unsolved or are never investigated.
In Guatemala, authorities have made no headway with the investigation; admitting the case is low priority due to an overwhelming spike in violent crime.
The Galicias are persistent in their quest to find their missing girl. They have filed numerous complaints with local police and the district attorney's office, but to no avail. The last family photo taken of Enma shows her at the age of two. She was kidnapped at the age of seven. In December, she would have celebrated her eighth birthday.
The Galicias fear their daughter may already be in the process of being adopted by unknowing parents in the U.S. who have no idea she was illegally stolen from her home, or that she has a family who desperately wants her back.
DATELINE contacted the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. A forensic artist rendered the following photograph to show what Enma might look like today. If you have any information please contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST.
