ISABEL MERCEDES CELIS - 6 yo (2012) - Tucson AZ

A neighbor of a 6-year-old girl who went missing from her Tucson,
Ariz., home says she heard noises the morning of the child's
disappearance. Alicia Stardevant tells
KVOA-TV she heard her dogs barking and male voices outside her bedroom
window at about 6:30 a.m. Saturday. She says there were no sounds that
indicated a struggle.
Isabel Celis' parents
say they last saw her in her bedroom Friday night and they awoke
Saturday to find her missing. Police say a window was open with the
screen pushed aside.
Police Chief Roberto Villasenor says detectives have the neighbor's
statement but it's one piece of a very large puzzle. Investigators have
been pursuing hundreds of tips.
In a Facebook post Thursday, Isabel's mother, Rebecca, asked people to continue to pray for her daughter.

http://hd.broadcastnewsroom.com/article/Neighbor-recalls-noise-before-Ariz-girl-vanished-1994611

Isabel Celis: Neighbor heard voices, dogs barking

by Carina Sonn | Follow: @carinasonn
azfamily.com

Posted on April 27, 2012 at 8:43 AM
Updated today at 9:01 AM



TUCSON, Ariz. -- Police say they're now checking nearby bodies of water for missing Isabel Celis, although no dive teams have been called in.

Friday marks one week since the 6-year-old vanished from her home.

Neighbor Alicia Stardevant lives next door to the family's home; a wall separates her bedroom from Isabel's.

On Saturday she woke up to noises outside her window.

"I noticed two male voices outside my bedroom window and I also noticed their dogs just going crazy, too," Stardevant said. "I didn't really think anything of it because it was light outside and I thought maybe someone was going for a walk."

Stardevant told CNN's Nancy Grace she wished she had paid closer attention because there shouldn't have been anyone in the breezeway between the two properties.

Stardevant added that everything seemed to be normal at the Celis' home, which she's lived next door to for the last eight months.

"No strange activity, no strange cars, just seemed like a quiet house," she said.

Investigators continue to gather potential evidence at the home and comb through leads even though there has been no break-though in the case.

"We conducted four complete canvasses, of this area in a three-mile wide radius, went back several times. And we continue to do that to this day," said Lt. Fabian Pacheco with the Tucson Police Department.

The worry is with each passing day, the likelihood of finding Isabel -- dead or alive -- dwindles, as resources and media attention dry up.

"It's very difficult to mount these big searches. Most children, if they've been missing, have been murdered or found within a five-mile radius of their home or a 100 miles away," John Walsh, host of "America's Most Wanted" told Tucson station KOLD over the phone. "There isn't the money, the time. The law-enforcement agencies don't have the resources and the reality becomes that even though your child is missing, now they're just a poster, now they're just a picture."

There is a $30,000 reward for information that leads to Isabel Celis.

http://www.azfamily.com/news/local/Neighbor-of-Isabel-Celis-says-she-heard-voices-dogs-barking-the-morning-of-girls-disappearance-149181685.html

Tucson, Arizona police are looking for a group of five people who were
captured on surveillance video leaving a club near the home of Isabel
Celis around the time the 6-year-old disappeared.

The three women and two men were captured on camera just a block from the Celis house on the night the missing girl vanished.

Police said the group was walking away from a club at 1:30 a.m.

"We want them to come forward and tell us did they or did they not see anything unusual," a Tucson police spokesperson said.

Isabel Celis was reported missing
by her father around 8 a.m. April 21 after her mother left for work and
her father went to wake her up. The child was not in her room, and a
bedroom window was opened with the screen removed, police said.

The little girl was last seen around 11 p.m. April 20, when she was put to bed.

"If this child were abducted out of her house, through a window, out a
door, somebody may have seen that," said Brad Garrett, a former FBI
agent and ABC News consultant.

While the police have not ruled out Celis's parents as suspects, they
have said the family has cooperated fully with police during the
investigation.

"We have tremendous gratitude to the millions of people around the world
who have prayed for Isabel," Becky Celis said. "Please continue to pray
for her return. We don't want the focus to be taken off Isabel by
talking in front of the cameras."

FBI search dogs, including a scent dog and a cadaver dog, hit on
something in the house that police noted was "important" to the
investigation on April 22. Police then executed search warrants on the
Celis home and other homes in the neighborhood, though they would not
say which ones.

Authorities are awaiting lab results of the evidence gathered, sources told ABC News.

Police have searched homes in the family's neighborhood, dug through a
nearby landfull and searched waterways and drainage systems in Tucson,
but so far have few leads.

The missing girl's parents issued a plea this week for the safe return of their daughter.

"Just please, please, to the person or persons who have Isabel, tell us
what you want. We will do anything for her. We're looking for you, Isa,"
Sergio Celis, the girl's father, said tearfully.

Standing with family members clad in matching "Bring Isa Home" T-shirts,
Celis and his wife, Becky,spoke directly to their daughter's captor,
saying in both English and Spanish that they would do anything for her
return. The parents have offered $6,000 for information about her
disappearance.

Police noted that there are 15 registered sex offenders in the neighborhood, all of whom have been interviewed by police.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/isabel-celis-tucson-police-group-surveillance-video/story?id=16233873#.T5v8eNnrSSo

AP/USA Today Photo

Do they look troubled? Evidence of non-stop crying over the loss of their daughter? I remember when SnackCakes used to wear a "Find Caylee" T-shirt. Just sayin'...

TUCSON, Ariz. -- While there is still no sign of 6-year-old Isabel Celis,
who disappeared from her Tucson home more than a week ago, police have
identified one personal on surveillance video released in connection
with the case.

“This isn't 'CSI: Tucson,' where we are going to solve this in one hour," said Lt. Fabian Pacheco with Tucson Police Department. "This is going to take us awhile.”

The first-grader's parents said their daughter disappeared from their home after they put her to bed last Friday night.

So far, one person who was seen on surveillance video with four others early Saturday morning has come forward.

“Preliminarily, we have at least one individual self-identified,"
Pacheco said. "We are sending out detectives to interview him and
hopefully identify the other four people he was with."

The video captured the group walking in a parking lot from a night club close to Celis’ home.

Investigators are currently working 28 new leads.

“We understand that some folks might feel frustration," Pacheco said. "Eight days. Believe me we feel it, as well."

The lieutenant said their goal is to bring Isabel safely home to her family.

Mexican law-enforcement officials also are helping search for Isabel.

“The directive was to check businesses, industrial areas, bus
terminals anything that could help out us in our investigation,” Pacheco
said.

The Tucson Police Department is looking at the possibility that the child was taken down south because it’s close to Tucson.
http://www.azfamily.com/news/Detective-have-IDd-one-person-in-surveillance-video-connected-to-missing-Tucson-girl-149396425.html

Tucson police say they've talked with at least three of five people captured on that video.
Lt.
Fabian Pacheco says detectives wanted to talk with the group walking
early in the morning to see if they saw anything unusual. Pacheco didn't
say at a press briefing Sunday afternoon what the men and women told
officers.
Dozens of tips are still being investigated as police try to find out what happened to the missing first-grader.
Meanwhile,
the search for Isabel has widened, crossing over into Mexico. Saturday,
U.S. marshals asked Mexican police for help checking hotels, bus
terminals, and businesses in the town of Sonora, where the 6-year-old's
photo is being circulated.
"The idea of having Mexico involved I
think is a logical idea and a good idea at this point..."The idea that
somebody crossed and picked up Isabel and then went back into Mexico is
actually realistic," said former FBI agent Brad Garrett.
Isabel
Celis was last seen around 11 p.m. on April 20 when she was getting
ready for bed. She was reported missing by her father around 8 a.m. the
next morning after he went to wake her up. According to police, the
child was not in her room and a bedroom window was opened with the
screen removed.
Although ABC News reports police have not ruled
out Celis's parents as suspects, they have said the family has
cooperated with police during the investigation.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57423990-504083/isabel-mercedes-celis-missing-police-expand-search-for-6-year-old-to-mexico/

Any hope for clues into the disappearance of 6-year-old Isabel
Mercedes Celis from a group of five people caught on surveillance video
has vanished because the images captured the wrong night.

Tucson police released the video Friday hoping the people in it had
witnessed something that would help detectives find Isabel.

The Little League player was reported missing from her
home in the 5600 block of East 12th Street shortly after 8 a.m. April
21. Her father, Sergio Celis, went to wake her up in her room and Isabel
was not there, police were told. The window to her bedroom was open and
the screen was off.

Detectives learned the surveillance video that was
released showed the wrong night after talking to three of the five
people shown in the grainy black-and-white footage walking in the area
of Isabel's home near East Broadway and South Craycroft Road, Lt. Fabian
Pacheco said Monday.

The video, which was not date- or time-stamped, was taken
by a security camera at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 215 S. Craycroft
Road. The video shows the group walking overnight April 21, hours after
the search for Isabel had begun.

Police now are working with the security company to
collect video footage from overnight April 20, which will include the
hours before Isabel was reported missing, Pacheco said.

Investigators will have to pore over footage again in
hopes of finding clues into Isabel's disappearance. The mix-up is not a
major setback in the investigation, Pacheco said. It is not known how
long it will take before police have video from the correct night, he added.

Meanwhile, detectives on Isabel's case are also working
with Pima County Sheriff's Department investigators on a report of a
sexual assault of three sisters reported Monday morning, said sheriff's
Bureau Chief Rick Kastigar.

"We have contacted the Tucson Police Department, and they
have sent several detectives out to interact with our detectives. They
are comparing notes and sharing information," Kastigar said.

"I don't believe the incidents involving Isabel Celis and
the sexual assault of these girls are related, but we can't dismiss the
possibility, either," Kastigar said.

A song for Isa

Local band Flight Team, a rhythm and blues and hip-hop group,
filmed video for its new song, "Bring Isa Home," Monday evening.

The video was filmed in a shopping center parking lot at
South Craycroft Road and East Broadway. A makeshift volunteer post is
set up to distribute materials about Tucson's missing child, 6-year-old
Isabel Mercedes Celis.

Tucson Medical Center employees who are co-workers of Becky Celis,
Isabel's mother, took part in the video.

Band manager Octavio Corrales said the song was written
by Lil Zay, Mic Ortiz and Yng Joe to thank the community for coming
together and working to try to find Isabel.


Read more: http://azstarnet.com/news/local/surveillance-video-no-help-to-find-isabel/article_b20b44b8-3689-5e70-b215-ce01ea99a0b3.html#ixzz1td8qmPel

Tucson police brought missing girl Isabel Celis' parents to their home
separately on Tuesday "to speak with them there," Lt. Fabian Pacheco
said.
"We're there with their consent to continue the investigation," Pacheco said in an afternoon news briefing.
He said search warrants were not served and investigators were there with the family's permission.
Authorities are not focusing on anyone in particular, Pacheco said.
Isabel's
parents said they last saw her in her bedroom the night of April 20 and
discovered she was missing the next morning. Police said a window was
open with the screen pushed aside.
Pacheco spoke on day 12 of the investigation and said law enforcement has received about 500 tips.
Friends of the family said they have passed out more than 20,000 flyers. (Click here for a printable flyer).
Isabel is described as just under 4' tall and weighs 44 pounds, with brown hair and hazel eyes.
Anyone with information about the whereabouts of the girl is asked to call 911 or 88-Crime.
http://www.kpho.com/story/18066868/tucson-police-bring-family-to-missing-girls-home

Personal observation: I just saw the parents on their first national interview on the Today Show.
Keep in mind this is two weeks later. Not two hours or two days...two weeks.
Frankly, I am still not convinced they don't know exactly what is going on.
They just don't seem worried enough or anxious enough or pleading enough.
NG made mention of a male cousin to the girl on last night's show. Could they be covering up for him?

Sergio and Becky Celis believe police should take the focus off of them during the investigation of their missing daughter Isabel.


"We do feel sometimes that they're wasting time with us," Isabel's dad Sergio tells the Today
show. "[But] we know we have to be under, you know, scrutiny,
absolutely understandable. … We're desperate in finding out information.
We're extremely frustrated it's taking so long."

The Tucson,
Ariz., parents, who took polygraph tests, have cooperated with police in
the search for Isabel, 6, who vanished from her bedroom after being put
to bed on April 20.


The scrutiny, Becky says, is "nothing we can't handle," adding
she believes police are doing everything they can to solve the case.

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20592538,00.html

Isabel’s parents: Police “wasting time” on us

The parents of missing 6-year-old Isabel Celis
begged for her return in their first live television interview
Thursday, and they said they fear police may be wasting time focusing
the investigation on them.

Becky Celis said on NBC’s “Today Show”
that Isabel is a “girly girl” who loves to put on makeup and paint her
nails, but she also likes playing outside in the dirt with her brothers.
Becky and Sergio Celis told police that Isabel vanished from her bedroom
in their Tucson home after she was put to sleep around 11:00 p.m. on
April 20. She was gone when Sergio went to wake her the next morning.

“I was asking her if
she was hungry,” Sergio said, describing the last time he saw Isabel,
“and she just had that little sleepy look as she was walking by, and she
just said, ‘No, daddy. I’m tired.’ She was just walking by. She is so
full of life and she is just so wonderful.”

Becky said the level
of scrutiny the parents have faced is “nothing we can’t handle,” and
they believe police are doing everything they can to solve the case.
However, Sergio said it can still be difficult because detectives are
only able to share limited information with them and “they keep us at bay.”

“We understand that
they can’t bring false hope, but at the same time, you know, we’re
desperate. We’re desperate in finding out information. We’re extremely
frustrated that it’s taking so long,” Sergio said. “…We do feel
sometimes that they’re wasting time with us even though we know we have
to be under, you know, scrutiny, absolutely understandable.”

Isabel’s parents
urged people to continue praying for their “beautiful baby girl” to be
brought back home, which they called “her favorite place in the world.”

Tucson police confirmed to HLN Thursday that both parents have taken polygraph tests,
but they would not comment on the results. “Nancy Grace”
producer Greg Overzat was on the scene Wednesday afternoon when
detectives brought the parents and Isabel’s older brother back into the house separately.

Lt. Fabian Pacheco
said at a Wednesday press briefing that the walkthroughs with individual
family members are just a method investigators use, they were done with
the family’s consent and they do not indicate a focus on anyone in
particular. According to Pacheco, police have received about 500 tips in
the case so far and they are following up on all of them.

http://nancygrace.blogs.cnn.com/2012/05/03/isabels-parents-police-wasting-time-on-us/?hpt=ng_mid

Transcript of the Ann Curry interview of the parents on yesterdays' Today Show.

Ann Curry: Isabel’s parents, Sergio and Becky, are now joining us exclusively this morning.
Good morning to both of you.

Sergio and Becky Celis: Good morning.

AC: This is our first chance to really
get to know a little bit about your daughter, Isabel. What do you want
to tell us, Becky, about your girl?

Becky Celis: She is a girly girl. She
loves to get her makeup on and paint her nails, do your nails, do my
nails, do her hair. She loves to put — she loves to go out and play with
her brother, play hard in the dirt and then come back in and get
herself all girled up again. She's very caring. She’s a loving little
girl, loves to come and give mom and dad hugs all the time, tell us we
love her — or that she loves us. A beautiful baby girl.

AC: We can see from the videotape, just
so full of life. And Sergio, I’m wondering, you know, we just saw from
the videotape, you were asked to reenact the hours before Isabel
disappeared. What do you remember about the last time you saw her, Sergio?

Sergio Celis: Just that sweet little
face. Just that sweet little face. She had just gotten her hair done. It
was just before she went to bed. She had a baseball game early the next
morning and Becky braided her hair up. So she was going to be ready for
early morning. And I was asking her if she was hungry and she just had
that little sleepy look as she was walking by and she just said, ‘No,
daddy. I’m tired.’ She was just walking by. She is so full of life, and
she is just so wonderful. And we do miss her so much. And her brothers
miss her so much. (One of the brothers) said he loves her so much. We
just need everyone out there, everyone, just to keep praying for her.
Keep your eyes out.

AC: As you know, any time there is a
case of a missing child, the parents and family come under scrutiny.
Becky, what do you want to tell us about how intense that scrutiny is
now? Has it lessened? Is it still as intense? And how do you feel about it?

Becky Celis: It's necessary to do. And
if it’s anything close to getting Isa back home safely, then whatever it
takes. It’s nothing we can’t handle. We want her back, so whatever it
takes to get her back, we will do.

AC: You know, there is no easy way to
ask this question, but because this is your first live television
interview, Sergio, let me ask you this question. What do you want to say
about questions about whether you had anything to do with your
daughter’s disappearance?

Sergio Celis: Gosh. I wish I knew where
to begin. We are so frustrated to try to understand why this is
happening, why this had to happen, why Isabel had to be targeted. We
just don’t understand that. And to whomever did this, please, look at
her, look at her. She’s beautiful. She doesn’t deserve this. She
deserves to be home. She deserves to be home in her room playing with
her brothers and just loving life the way she does. This is — there’s so
many things that are just so frustrating and so difficult to deal with.
You — we just want her home. We just want her home.

AC: Do you have any reason to believe that someone is holding her for ransom, Sergio?

Becky Celis: No demands have been made.

Sergio Celis: Not because it’s been made
and not because it's been said, there have been no demands. There have
been no calls for ransom. We have the reward ready. There has been no
communication that we’re aware of. The detectives and the investigators
have, you know, been good in communicating with us every day. But at the
same time, you know, there’s only so much they can tell us. There’s
only so much they do tell us. They keep us at bay, and all of that is
frustrating. We understand that they can’t bring false hope, but at the
same time, you know, we're desperate. We’re desperate in finding out
information. We’re extremely frustrated that it’s taking so long and we
understand that they’re doing absolutely everything possible. And
sometimes it does feel that, yes, we do feel sometimes that they’re
wasting time with us even though we know we have to be under, you know,
scrutiny, absolutely, understandable. But my goodness. She’s still out there.

Becky Celis: We just want her home. We
want people to keep praying for her so that she comes home to us, and
keep your eyes open. Just as many prayers as you guys can do to bring
her — to help us bring her home. Prayers to have whoever took her to
have a change of heart and want to bring her home. Prayers for
investigators to please have a break in the case and be able to bring
Isabel home where she belongs, her favorite place in the world.

Sergio Celis: Her favorite place in the world.

AC: Sergio and Becky Celis, I am certain
that after hearing you this morning, you have a lot of people praying
for you and Isabel. Thank you so much for joining us.

Sergio Celis: And we want to thank
everybody for all their prayers. This is the most unbelievable unity of
prayer around the world, as we understand it. It’s not just across the
nation. We understand it is worldly and we thank everybody from the
bottom of our hearts.

Becky Celis: And our community.

Sergio Celis: Our community. Everybody’s
so involved. The volunteers. There are endless efforts. It’s
unbelievable. We have to thank everyone doing everything they're doing.
And please, please keep your eyes open. Keep your eyes open.

Becky Celis: And continue praying, please.

AC: May your prayers be answered. Thank you.

Read more: http://azstarnet.com/news/local/crime/transcript-of-ann-curry-s-interview-on-today-with-sergio/article_a4008a5c-959c-11e1-87d2-0019bb2963f4.html#ixzz1ttzdEQsA

Analysis anyone?

TomTerrific0420 wrote:Analysis anyone?

Sergio Celis: Gosh. I wish I knew where
to begin. We are so frustrated to try to understand why this is
happening, why this had to happen, why Isabel had to be targeted. We
just don’t understand that. And to whomever did this, please, look at
her, look at her. She’s beautiful. She doesn’t deserve this. She
deserves to be home. She deserves to be home in her room playing with
her brothers and just loving life the way she does. This is — there’s so
many things that are just so frustrating and so difficult to deal with.
You — we just want her home. We just want her home.


this answer seems suspicious to me. could the parents have a debt that needed to be paid? drugs or dirty business related perhaps???

Also, So-Cal, if you read the question Ann asked...he never answered it.
He keeps using the term "deserve". She didn't deserve this. She deserves to be home etc etc
Deserve what exactly? I am getting the impression from his use of this term that he knows what happened. Other than her disappearance, of course.

Tucson police have received nearly 900 leads in the disappearance of 6-year-old Isabel Celis.
Sergeant Maria Hawke says they are working every credible lead to find the child.

"There's not a defined playbook that tells us ok, on day such and
such you do this. It really is dependent on the information we've got,
how much more investigating we need to do and where we're at which the
leads we've acquired and much additional information that is coming in
and all of those things get weighed out," said Sgt. Hawke.

Isabel Celis disappeared from her home just over two weeks ago.

Hawke says they are working around the clock and several officers are exclusively assigned to the case.

http://www.ksdk.com/news/article/318852/28/Police-working-leads-in-missing-Arizona-girl-case

The father of missing 6-year-old Isabel Mercedes Celis
gave a heartfelt performance at a benefit concert Sunday night, bringing
to tears many of those in attendance.
Sergio Celis, an opera singer, sang Ave Maria to the
crowd of about 100 people gathered at Catalina United Methodist Church
in central Tucson.
The benefit was organized by friends of the Celis family
to raise money in the search for Isabel, who was reported missing from
her home April 21.
Police continue sifting through hundreds of leads in the
case, but have not identified a suspect or motive in the child's disappearance.
After Sergio's performance tonight, he blessed himself with the sign of the cross
and returned to be seated with his family.

Read more: http://azstarnet.com/news/local/isabel-s-father-sings-ave-maria-at-tonight-s-benefit/article_7ba0c0ae-97f4-11e1-ad67-0019bb2963f4.html#ixzz1uBMOqtp7

Bravo Sergio! Bravo!
Now, tell us what happened to your daughter!
You have time to practice and warm up for a performance but not enough time to answer questions that may solve this mystery?!?!
Booo Sergio! Boooooo!~

Hiya Tom I'm wondering what makes you so sure the father did this? There are on average 55 children a year abducted by strangers in the USA and this could easily be one of those IMO. Fair enough to feel he might have done something, but you seem so sure. What if you're wrong? If you are, can you bare to be causing possibly innocent parents extra grief, not to mention possibly even affecting public opinion against them which may hurt the search? It just seems to me your comments go beyond speculation. Do you know something we don't?
I just want to balance this topic a bit by saying that I'm following this case with an open mind at this stage seeing as a stranger abduction isn't even close to being ruled out by investigating authorities.
One way or another, I hope this doesn't become another unsolved missing child!
See you on the blog Tommy

My comments and opinions are just that. After having sifted through literally hundreds of these stories over the past several years you begin to develop an appreciation for the truth and you can also smell bs when it's out there.
The parents lack of urgency, well documented by the investigators, along with other verbal and gestural clues are leading me to me conclusion. Well founded or not, it is my conclusion and people may accept or reject it.
If I am wrong, which I highly doubt, I will be happy to offer an apology but the parents have done nothing in this case to sway my opinion.

50 detectives still active in missing girl case

Updated: Wednesday, 09 May 2012, 5:21 AM MST
Published : Wednesday, 09 May 2012, 5:21 AM MST

TUCSON, Ariz. - Police hold a press
conference about 6-year-old Isabel Celis, the Tucson girl who
disappeared from her bedroom more than 2 weeks ago.

They say they haven't ruled anything out at this point, and they are still treating the case as an abduction.

More than 50 detectives remain active on the case, and resources from the
FBI and the U.S. Marshal's Office are helping with the search.
http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/dpp/news/crime/50-detectives-still-active-in-missing-girl-case-05092012

TUCSON - The intense search for missing 6-year-old Isabel Celis continues, now in its 18th day.

Tuesday afternoon Tucson police held a briefing to update the public and media about the investigation.

There are no new leads that police can comment on. But they have received more than a thousand tips.

Right now, about 50 personnel are working the case, 20 detectives and 30 support staff.

The FBI and US Marshals are assisting too.

At Tuesday's news conference, Sgt. Maria Hawke said Isabel's
disappearance is still classified as a possible abduction and they're
investigating all possible scenarios.

"We've been examining every possibility. Whether it be extended
family members, friends, people who have visited the neighborhood or
regulars in the neighborhood. They have a very active social life
outside of the home as well. So pretty much everyone they come into
contact with has obviously been looked at," Sgt. Maria Hawke said
Tuesday.

Sgt. Hawke says there's a multi step process detectives go through to eliminate possible suspects.

"There's a variety of hypotheticals that could cause somebody to be
cleared. One example is if we can definitively prove that they were not
in the city of Tucson at any time, during the time frame she potentially
went missing," said Sgt. Hawke, "So that 11pm on Friday to 8am Saturday
morning. If we can definitively prove that someone was not in town, it
eliminates them from the suspicion of having taken her. But we then have
to take the next step of eliminating them of having any knowledge of
the incident."

So far, no one has been identified as a suspect and no one has been ruled out.
http://www.kvoa.com/news/finding-isabel-day-18-of-the-investigation/

The smiling face of Isabel Celis has kept volunteers staffing a
makeshift center and working nearly nonstop for more than 20 days in -a
grass-roots effort that has one goal: to bring the girl home safely.
Within hours of Isabel's being reported missing April 21,
volunteers - many friends of the family and colleagues of the girl's
mother - have organized their own search efforts.
From plastering the city and region with posters showing
the smiling 6-year-old, to printing up T-shirts and banners with her
face, to creating websites and Facebook pages seeking information,
volunteers have remained focused.
"I will put all my energy in trying to find Isa," said volunteer Janel Sanchez,
a Tucson Medical Center unit clerk.
She works 12-hour shifts and makes time to sit at the
"Bring Isa Home" ramada in the hot parking lot of a shopping center at
South Craycroft Road and East Broadway.
Many of the volunteers work at TMC, where Isabel's mom, Becky Celis, 35, is a nurse.
Becky Celis has at times helped at the center, volunteers
said, and both parents told reporters last week that they planned to
become more public in the search. The parents have also expressed their
gratitude for the volunteers' efforts.
A national expert on missing children said it's not
unusual for the community - family members, friends, co-workers and
strangers - to form large search efforts.
The day after Isabel was reported missing, the Bring Isa
Home volunteer center went up in the parking lot. The Celis home is visible from that lot.
It is there that Sanchez and some 40 hospital workers and
community volunteers take shifts - spreading themselves over seven days
a week between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m.
They pass out fliers - now at 500,000 - with Isabel's
face. At times, their faces can't hide their exhaustion - even when they
smile and hand out candles, T-shirts, rosaries, bracelets, pens and
water bottles to raise money for search costs and to help the Celis family.
TMC cafeteria workers sell Bring Isa Home items at the
hospital, and employees donate to the TMC Foundation fund for the Celis family.
"TMC workers are all family. We always come together and
help each other out. Something like this just brings us even closer," Sanchez said.
Valerie Ballesteros, a close friend of Becky Celis' and a
TMC employee, said she is proud of the community's support. "There is
no way we would have been able to do this without the community," she said.
Nearly two dozen businesses have helped through the contribution of fliers, donations, food, water and billboards.
Ella Boyles, 38, and her two daughters have joined the
volunteers. "I want Isa home, and if it were my child I would want the
same support from the community," she said.
TMC employees also created a website, BringIsaHome.com, to keep those
without access to social media sites in the loop.
Kristin Wook, one of the website's administrators, said
the site is important because it helps people stay informed and learn
how they can help. "We want her face to be the most recognizable face out there."
Bob Lowery, executive director of the missing children
division of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children,
said it's common for community members to coordinate efforts to help in
cases involving children.
"When a child goes missing like Isabel, it touches a lot
of lives more so than people realize," he said. "Children are the most
vulnerable of our society, and people react to that in that they want to
help and want to do all they can to see a child come back home."
He said volunteer efforts are crucial in keeping missing children at the forefront of people's minds.
"The community events themselves, we believe, are helpful
because they remind us that Isabel is still missing, and we know that
it's very important to keep the public engaged," Lowery said.

Police SEARCH COSTS TOP $1 MILLION

What's new:
The Tucson Police Department's investigation into missing
6-year-old Isabel Mercedes Celis has climbed to more than $1 million -
including $250,000 in overtime pay. Today marks Day 21 into the investigation.
"We need to keep an open mind to what might have
happened," police Sgt. Maria Hawke said at a news briefing Thursday. "We
do not want to pigeonhole ourselves or give ourselves tunnel vision."
So far:
More than 1,000 tips have been reported. Isabel was
reported missing from her midtown home April 21. Police understand that
as more time passes, it is less probable the case will be solved.
However, investigators remain hopeful Isabel will be found safe, Hawke said.

Read more: http://azstarnet.com/news/local/crime/volunteers-tap-a-wellspring-of-energy-to-find-isabel/article_d234a172-4be3-5023-8ef6-3b952858a1e7.html#ixzz1uZ0zjO89

What's new

Isabel Celis' older brothers were staying with only one of their parents and a relative Friday, police said.
Child Protective Services met with Tucson police and
Isabel Celis' parents Thursday at police headquarters before a decision
was made to have the children stay with one of the parents and the
relative, said Lt. Fabian Pacheco, a Tucson Police Department spokesman.
Detectives became aware of information regarding the
welfare of the Celises' older children, according to a Tucson Police
Department news release. Isabel, 6, has two older brothers, Julian and Sergio.
Pacheco did not say which parent and relative the boys were staying with, citing the investigation.
CPS "instituted certain measures to ensure the continued
welfare" of the children, police said. Police would not elaborate on
what measures were taken or what led to the action.
Pacheco said the move was driven by the ongoing investigation of Isabel's disappearance.
Police officers did not have to serve a temporary custody notice, he said.
That's when children are taken from their parents because they are endangered.
"We just wanted CPS to come in and perform an assessment based on information from detectives," he said.
CPS has been involved in the case since Isabel was first
reported missing, which is common for missing-children cases. CPS
released a statement Friday, saying, "The Department can confirm that
CPS is working closely with law enforcement to ensure the continued
safety of the children. At the present time, the children are not in CPS
custody. The Department appreciates the community's support and
understanding in protecting the privacy rights and safety needs for
these children during this ongoing joint investigation."

What's next

Police are scheduled to update the case for reporters Monday afternoon.
Also, volunteers have organized a percentage night at three local Texas Roadhouse restaurants Monday.
People can pick up a flier at the volunteer command
center - in the shopping center at South Craycroft Road and East
Broadway - and take it to one of the restaurants from 3 to 10 p.m. and
10 percent of their bill will be donated to the Bring Isa Home fund.
Texas Roadhouse locations are: 968 W. Irvington Road, 170 S. Wilmot Road
and 8450 N. Cracker Barrel Road.

So far

Isabel was reported missing from her midtown home April
21. Police continue the investigation, and more than 1,000 tips have
been reported. No suspects have been identified in the case. Police said
the cost of the investigation has topped $1 million.

Read more: http://azstarnet.com/news/local/crime/isa-s-brothers-staying-with-parent-relative/article_284272fb-80be-5d95-8b33-f3eb7b22b0f2.html#ixzz1uerj4Sfw

The father of missing Tucson 6-year-old Isabel Celis
has been told by authorities he cannot have contact with the girl's two
older brothers, who are now in the custody of their mother Rebecca, ABC
News has learned.

A source close to the investigation said the development does not mean
that investigators are turning their focus on Sergio Celis in the
disappearance of his daughter. A police statement released Friday said
it is "common practice for CPS [Child Protective Services] to become
involved in investigations regarding missing children."

Calls to Sergio Celis and his wife -- who are no longer living together
-- were not returned today. Other family members reached by phone
refused to comment.

The police statement said new information regarding the welfare of the
older Celis children led detectives to contact officials with Child
Protective Services and call in Isabel's family for a meeting Friday.
The statement did not specify what prompted the detectives and child
welfare workers to take action.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/isabel-celis-missing-tucson-girls-father-barred-contact/story?id=16334922#.T68FUlLPw-E