VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Fourteen-year-old Cindy Emily Lopez is supposed to be a freshman at Bayside High School in Virginia Beach, but she has not been in school all year long, according to her mom, Nancy Jordan.
Jordan claims that her and Cindy were both kidnapped while visiting family in Mexico several months ago.
The FBI told News 3 they are actively investigating the case.
In the meantime, her mother says she fears her daughter is in danger.
Jordan claims the kidnapping in Mexico took place in September of 2022. She says they were in Mexico in August 2022 for a family member’s funeral.
The mom says she was held against her will and forced to take drugs, but was able to escape and returned home this past April. However, she says her daughter is still apparently there.
Both the Virginia Beach Police Department and the FBI told News 3 they took reports about this missing teenager. Jordan says she's spoken with VBPD and the FBI. She says she also spoke to police in El Paso.
Virginia Beach Public Schools says Cindy Lopez used to be a student in the district, but they couldn’t tell us when she was last present in class. They said they were unable to provide that level of detailed information about a minor, but said they would fully cooperate with law enforcement should they need any of that information.
The FBI issued the following statement on the matter:
“The FBI investigates all allegations of child kidnappings seriously. Investigative resources from our El Paso and Norfolk Field Offices are working with the family and other law enforcement partners to locate Ms. Lopez, who was visiting family in Mexico. As this is an ongoing investigation, no further information can be provided at this time. If anyone has any information where Ms. Lopez, please call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.“
Details about what happened in Mexico are unclear, but what we do know is that a 14-year-old girl is unaccounted for and could be in danger.
If anyone has any information about this case or the whereabouts of Cindy Emily Lopez, please call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.
News 3 is committed to shining a light on missing persons cases that wouldn’t always get media attention, particularly missing children of color, as part of our “HAVE YOU SEEN ME” series.
