The search for Gainesville's missing 12-year old Maria Gomez-Perez reaches one month on Saturday, June 29, and investigators are still seeking leads to help find her.
Thursday afternoon, the Hall County Sheriff's Office provided an update on their search for Maria, who was last seen on May 29 and reported missing one day later.
Sheriff Gerald Couch's office says in a press release that at this time, they still do not know where Maria is, but remain vigilant in the search.
Sheriff Couch has thanked the generous, anonymous donors who created a fund that will reward anyone with leads to Maria's safe return. The amount in the fund remains at $50,000. The announcement of the increased reward on June 19 sparked dozens of additional tips. Unfortunately, none of those tips gave investigators viable leads to Maria’s whereabouts.
Investigators have followed numerous leads from the following states: South Carolina, Tennessee, Florida, Alabama, Texas, Illinois and Maryland. Unfortunately, those leads did not bring authorities any closer to finding Maria. The Sheriff's Office continues to receive assistance from local, state and federal law enforcement agencies in their search, through the FBI, Homeland Security, the GBI, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) and a number of other agencies have been an integral part of the investigation.
Hall County officials say the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) tip line remains open at 770-503-3232. Email tips may be sent to [email protected]. 911 is always open for communication. Any tips may remain anonymous.
