Harlingen Police Receive New Break in Teen’s Disappearance
Related Story
HARLINGEN - Monday, July 17, marks the one-year anniversary of the day 19-year-old Nahomi Rodriguez went missing from a Harlingen McDonald's.
In April, her remains were found in a canal in a remote area near Rio Hondo. No one has been arrested for the murder.
Harlingen Police Major Crimes Unit Sgt. Emilio Weaver said at this point, time is the biggest challenge. He told CHANNEL 5 NEWS as days go by without an arrest, people forget details or are less likely to come forth.
The $25,000 reward the department, in conjunction with other law enforcement agencies, is offering for information leading to an arrest is helping, he added.
"It has led us back to people that we had not talked to before that had not been on our radar," Weaver said. "So it's helped us quite a bit, actually."
Weaver said another major hurdle to overcome is that Rodriguez left no trail, unlike many people her age.
"Specifically not having social media or using social media," Weaver explained. "That was very difficult for us. Kids this age are always on social media and they are always - even if they don't want to leave a trail - they are always leaving a trail."
Weaver said since the reward money was put up shortly after the teen’s remains were discovered, investigators received nearly 100 leads. He added one lead even came from a person who told police they had a dream about Rodriguez's whereabouts.
Investigators looked into it, but it led them nowhere. Weaver is hoping the public won't stop cooperating.
"The details matter now because that specific detail may (lead to) the person that we're looking for or the vehicle that we're looking for," he said.
The vehicle Rodriguez was last seen getting into is described as a silver or light-colored SUV, similar to a Ford Escape. Weaver is asking the public to speak up if they know of anyone who had work done to an SUV similar to the suspect's vehicle or if they know of anyone who made any drastic changes, such as move to a different city or isolate themselves, following Rodriguez's disappearance last July.
Weaver said the FBI continues to work with the Harlingen Police Department on the case, and there's a Texas Ranger solely assigned to help in this investigation.
News
