Police are seeking the public's assistance in a search to find a missing mother and her 2-year-old son in California.
The Santa Maria Police Department is asking that the public help them locate 26-year-old Maria Guadalupe Hernandez Garcia and her son Christopher Hernandez Garcia, who were last seen by their family on the afternoon of November 5 at their home in the 300 block of W. Newlove Drive in Santa Maria.
Hernandez Garcia has not made any contact with family members since her disappearance on the day of the U.S. presidential election.
Detectives on the case have uncovered that Maria Guadalupe Hernandez Garcia does have access to a cell phone, money, credit or debit cards or a vehicle.
She is described as Hispanic with black hair and brown eyes. She is 5 feet tall and weighs around 140 pounds.
Christopher Hernandez Garcia is also described as Hispanic with black hair and brown eyes. He is 2 feet tall and weighs around 50 pounds, police said.
It is not known what either of them were wearing on the day they disappeared.
Photos have been provided to assist in the identification of the mother and son, but anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of the two missing persons are encouraged to contact the Santa Maria Police Department.
The Santa Maria Police Department said that it "greatly appreciates the community's assistance in locating Maria and Christopher and ensuring their safety," in an update posted on the department's Facebook account.
Newsweek has contacted the Santa Maria Police Department out of normal working hours via email for updates on the case.
The number of children who have disappeared, with their circumstances left unknown, in California has been decreasing in recent years.
Last year, 1,086 children disappeared in the state, according to California Department of Justice statistics.
The same is the case for the number of adults who have disappeared, with their circumstances left unknown, in California, as last year 2,396 disappeared, while in 2019, that number was 2,901.
The California Department of Justice statistics show that more male adults go missing in the state, while it is more female children who disappear.
Oklahoma has the highest percentage of missing people, according to the National U.S. Missing Persons Database (NamUS), which is operated by the Department of Justice.
Oklahoma was followed by Arizona, Louisiana, Arkansas and then Florida, while Massachusetts had the lowest number of active cases.
Do you have a story Newsweek should be covering? Do you have any questions about this story? Contact LiveNews@newsweek.com.
English (US) ·