Authorities have named a suspect in the case of missing Utah teen Elizabeth “Ely” Gonzalez and her two young cousins, who disappeared in Mexico City on June 30.
The FBI has identified 31-year-old Antonio Moreno as the suspect. Moreno is the biological father of Gonzalez’s cousins, Sofia Mailen Moreno Zamora, 6, and Regina Moreno Zamora, 4. He had been living in Kaysville, Utah, but suddenly traveled to Mexico City and allegedly took the girls without their mothers’ consent. The family has not heard from them since June 30.
“We believe the girls are in danger and are still in Mexico,” said the FBI in a statement.
Gonzalez, 14, from Ogden, Utah, was visiting family in Mexico City when she and her cousins went missing.
Surveillance footage reportedly shows Gonzalez and her cousins, who are Mexican nationals, getting into a taxi with Moreno. The FBI suspects Moreno manipulated Gonzalez into joining them, and they are believed to be traveling together.
An Amber Alert was issued for Gonzalez and her cousins on July 1 in Mexico City.
Gonzalez was last seen wearing dark blue jeans, a black hoodie, and black and white Vans. She is 5-foot-1, weighs 140 pounds, and has brown eyes and brown hair.