Social media trail suggests missing Miramar girl, 13, is just out of reach of cops, family
Every afternoon since the school year started, Enrique Gonzalez has parked his car along the curb of Miramar’s New Renaissance Middle School just before 4 p.m., waiting for his daughter to drive her home.
But on the afternoon of Sept. 17, as her dad grew more and more anxious, Victoria Sophia Gonzalez, 13, failed to show up. The principal and the school resource officer confirmed Victoria had attended every class that day. But school security cameras showed nothing out of the ordinary. Victoria left the grounds with a pack of other kids.
Now, almost two months later, the Miramar detective in charge of Victoria’s case said she’s gathered enough evidence to determine that the child is alive and probably not in danger. But the investigation into her whereabouts by Miramar Detective Nikki Fletcher has been stymied by privacy laws that won’t allow her to get search warrants that could help find Victoria.
“She’s missing and using someone else’s phone to check on Instagram,” Fletcher said. “But because being a missing person is not a crime, we can’t find out whose phone [Victoria is using]. And she left on her own free will.”
Friday afternoon, family members desperate to find Victoria gathered at Miramar police headquarters. They spoke directly to the child and to anyone who might be with her.
“If you’re watching me, I love you,” Enrique Gonzalez told his daughter. “Come home. I miss you. I love you. Come home. It’s been too long.”
Fletcher said based on cellphone tower pings, she believes Victoria has signed into her Instagram account from several neighborhoods, from Kendall and Homestead to Opa-locka, Miami Gardens and South Beach. Running away isn’t unusual for Victoria, her family said. But the detective said it’s very unusual — particularly for a runaway of Victoria’s age — to remain hidden for so long. Recovery rates for runaways, Fletcher said, are usually near 100 percent.
Though Victoria has signed on to Instagram, she’s just peeking, she hasn’t posted anything. Yet Victoria hasn’t been seen on any security cameras. No pictures of her have surfaced.
She left school back in September only with the clothes she was wearing. She was last seen in a white shirt, burgundy sweater and black pants. She is five foot two and weighs 227 pounds.
Fletcher said it’s possible Victoria is staying in a home with several kids and that their parents just haven’t thought to contact the child’s parents. Miramar Detective Tiffany Roy warned that anyone harboring the child could be committing a potential felony.
Enrique Gonzalez and Det. Fletcher said they’ve banged on doors and scoured neighborhoods throughout Miami-Dade. But without a warrant to tap into the phone the child has been using, they can only use the cell tower pings to get within about 500 meters of where they believe Victoria might have been.
Victoria’s mom, Sophia Gonzalez, said her daughter’s two cats, Marley and Simba, have been sleeping on the child’s pillow since she’s been gone. Choking back tears, her mom begged Victoria to come home. Her daughter will turn 14 in two weeks.
“We all miss you,” said Sophia Gonzalez. “It’s not the same without you. We miss your smile.”
Anyone with information should call Miramar police at 1-954-602-4000.
This story was originally published November 5, 2021 at 2:43 PM.
