A Lompoc family is looking for answers as they continue searching for 14-year-old Alberto Cabrera Corona, who has been missing since last Friday.
Graciela Cabrera Corona and Elizabeth Santa Cruz, the mother and sister of the missing Lompoc teen, say the past week has been incredibly difficult for them as their ongoing search to locate their loved one has now entered its seventh day.
According to the latest update from Lompoc police detectives, around 2 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 27, Alberto Cabrera Corona was last seen near the western city limits of Lompoc after reportedly abandoning a car that he was traveling in with two friends. Alberto's older sister, Elizabeth Santa Cruz, says the family reported him missing the following day, and that they have also been in contact with the two friends he was with.
"Last Thursday he went out with some of his friends and then they said they were driving around and got their car stuck in some fields," Santa Cruz recalled. "They were supposedly walking back, and then he took a different trail than them, and that is the last time they said that they saw him."
"We are wondering what happened to Alberto. Where is he? Because the others made it home, but Alberto hasn't been back since January 27," added the teen's mother.
With many questions still remaining as to the whereabouts of their missing family member, Graciela Cabrera Corona says the past week has entailed non-stop searches with no answers.
"We have been searching every day, in the streets, we have been distributing flyers. We have spoken with many people, and no one knows anything about him," she said.
Six days after the family reported Alberto missing, a collective of local agencies also began searching for the teen.
"We have been going by the river and the path they said he took. We have been looking every day since Saturday. We also got search and rescue involved, and the sheriff’s and they were helping us look yesterday all around the river. They got some dogs to help sniff around to see if they find any trace of him," said Santa Cruz.
The family says they have also been active on social media trying to get in contact with friends of Alberto to see if they have any details on where he might be. Santa Cruz says she also has access to her younger brother's Snapchat account but has not seen any recent activity.
"It has been hard. We have been trying to be there for each other. I haven’t been able to go to school either because I have been helping look for him," she said.
Alberto's mother, meanwhile, says she just wants their family to be whole again.
"Anyone who sees our flyers and knows where he is, please contact me. My phone number is on there, too," Graciela Cabrera Corona said.
Friday afternoon, a Lompoc Police Department spokesperson said there is no new information to report regarding the search for Alberto. They say their investigation is ongoing and encourage anyone with information on his whereabouts to reach out to their detectives unit.
They also say there have been no signs of foul play. Alberto Cabrera Corona was reportedly last seen near the intersection of Legge and Central Avenue just outside of Lompoc.
