Account
Dec 20, 2009
Jun 13, 2023
Sofia
Juarez
26
4
36 inches
33 lbs
White / Caucasian
Female
On the evening of February 4, 2003, in Kennewick, Washington, four-year-old Sofia Juarez was playing in her home, just one day shy of her fifth birthday. Between 8:00 PM and 9:15 PM, she vanished. Sofia, a shy girl who was not prone to wandering off, had asked her mother for a dollar to go to a nearby store. Her mother believed she would be accompanying her grandmother's boyfriend, who was also heading to the store. However, he left without realizing Sofia intended to follow him. When he returned home around 9:15 PM and it was discovered Sofia was not with him, her family immediately began to search for her and contacted the police. Sofia was last seen wearing blue overalls, a red shirt, violet socks, and white shoes. The disappearance of Sofia Juarez triggered the first-ever AMBER Alert in the state of Washington. An intensive investigation was launched by the Kennewick Police Department, with assistance from the FBI. The search for Sofia was extensive, with law enforcement and community members combing the area, but yielded no sign of the little girl. Investigators looked into numerous possibilities, including that she may have been taken by someone she knew, as her mother believed she would not have gone willingly with a stranger. Over the years, police have investigated hundreds of leads and tips, including reported sightings in other areas, but none have led to Sofia's recovery. More than 150 registered sex offenders in the Kennewick area were also investigated in connection with her disappearance. Years after she vanished, the case saw a significant development. In 2021, police released a description of a potential suspect and vehicle seen in the area the night Sofia disappeared. A highly credible witness reported seeing a young girl matching Sofia's description being led away by a Hispanic juvenile male, estimated to be between 11 and 14 years old at the time. The witness stated the boy was laughing as the little girl cried, and he led her towards a light-colored, older model van. This information, previously kept confidential during active investigations, offered a new direction in the long-unsolved case. Despite this and other leads, such as a viral TikTok video of a woman who resembled age-progressed images of Sofia, which was later determined not to be her through DNA testing, the circumstances of her disappearance remain unknown. The Kennewick Police Department continues to actively investigate the case, which has grown to over 20,000 pages of information, in the hope of one day bringing Sofia home.
Feb 04, 2003
Kennewick
Washington
Benton County
99336
No
26106
Kennewick Police Department
Kennewick
Washington
Benton County
99336
Randy Maynard
Sergeant
211 West 6th Avenue, Washington
5095854208
Local
Law Enforcement
03-03751
Kennewick Police Department
Black
Brown
Brown
06/17/2026
