NORMA LOPEZ - 17 yo (2010)/ Charged: Jesse Perez Torres - Moreno Valley (E of Riverside) CA

Poster's Query: How can you release a report like this and forget to include very important details and the name of the child?

A 17-year-old Moreno Valley girl went missing today after leaving
school, with witnesses reporting that she may have gotten into a pickup
truck.

The teenager was reported missing around 12:25 p.m. from her
residence in the 27300 block of Cottonwood Avenue, near Moreno Beach
Drive, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

There were initial reports the girl was walking near the house
when she was picked up by someone driving a green, newer model Ford
pickup truck, but authorities could not confirm that.
The 17-year-old attended a summer class between 8 and 10 a.m. at
Valley View High School, a little over a mile away, according to
sheriff's officials.

Deputies were checking local retail outlets and hillsides around
the Cottonwood Avenue address to try to locate the girl. An air search
turned up no clues.

The teen was described as 5-foot-7 and 113 pounds. She was last
seen wearing a green sweatshirt, gray jeans and black shoes, according
to the sheriff's department.

Riverside County Sheriff's deputies say they fear a 17-year-old Moreno Valley girl who has been
missing for two days may have been kidnapped. Sheriff's Sgt. Joe
Borja says Norma Lopez never returned home after attending summer school
classes Thursday morning at Valley View High School. Borja
says items belonging to Lopez were found in a field near her home and
there also were signs of a possible struggle. Police are
looking for a green SUV seen speeding from the area.

The family of a missing Moreno Valley teen appealed for help Friday,
pleading that the girl come home safely. Police
are investigating the case as a possible kidnapping after the
17-year-old girl didn't return home Thursday morning from summer school
classes. Detectives found some of her personal belongings and
believe she was taken against her will.
During a news conference with Moreno Valley police, the family of Norma
Lopez said they just want her back.
"I just wanted to say that if you know anything about her, just contact
us in any way ... that we miss her, and we just want her home safe,"
Norma's older sister Sonja Lopez said, breaking into sobs. "And that
if you're watching, sis, please call us. We just need you back.
We're not mad at you or anything." Norma
had just finished classes at Valley View High School in Moreno
Valley and had planned to meet a friend and her sister at a home in the
27000 block of Cottonwood Avenue, Riverside County sheriff's Sgt.
Joe Borja said. When Norma didn't come home by noon, the family
called police to report her missing. Norma
usually finished class at 10 a.m. and walked south on Nason Street
to Dracaea Avenue, where detectives believe she took a shortcut
through a field, Borja said. Witnesses
reported a newer-model green SUV speeding away from the area. The
driver is being sought for questioning, but police said the driver
may not be a suspect. Police said Norma had
never been in trouble or run away from home. "We
do not believe she's a runaway. If we did believe that, we wouldn't
be here today," Borja said. "If Norma's out there, we're looking for
you. If you haven't been taken, please call. We're worried about
you." Sheriff's deputies have canvassed the
neighborhood and handed fliers to passing drivers. The case also is
being investigated by the FBI
and included in the National Missing and Exploited Children
database. Anyone with information is asked to call
951-776-1099 or 877-242-4345.

TomTerrific0420 wrote:Riverside County Sheriff's deputies say they fear a 17-year-old Moreno Valley girl who has been
missing for two days may have been kidnapped. Sheriff's Sgt. Joe
Borja says Norma Lopez never returned home after attending summer school
classes Thursday morning at Valley View High School. Borja
says items belonging to Lopez were found in a field near her home and
there also were signs of a possible struggle. Police are
looking for a green SUV seen speeding from the area.

This doesn't sound good already, with items being found in a field. Sick, sick world we live in.
Will be praying for this child.

Authorities continued their search Saturday
for a 17-year-old Moreno Valley girl who vanished Thursday while on her
way home from summer school.
Teams of detectives and deputies scattered throughout the region have
been looking for clues in the whereabouts of Norma Lopez. Police said
there were signs of a struggle and that personal property was found
along the path she usually took to get home from class.
"The teams are out there searching for her right now," said Det. Matt
Diaz of the Riverside Sheriff's Department, which provides police
services in Moreno Valley.
Norma was reported missing around 12:30 p.m. Thursday by her older
sister, Sonja, after she did not return home from summer school, Sgt.
Joe Borja said at a Friday news conference.
She was attending classes at Valley View High School and was out of
class by 10 a.m., Borja said. The teen often took a shortcut through a
dirt field located southeast of the school.
"She had plans to meet her sister and another friend," Borja said.
"When she didn't arrive they began looking for her. They looked for
approximately two hours, they looked in the dirt field and along the
trail that she normally walks through and found some property
belonging to her."
Investigators said there were signs of a struggle in the area, which
caused them to suspect that she may have been taken against her will.
Borja did not elaborate. "They're personal belongings and they do
belong to her, we've confirmed that," Borja said.



Investigators are also looking for the driver and passengers of a
newer-model green SUV seen near the dirt field at the time of her
disappearance. "We're not saying it's the suspect's vehicle at
this point because it may not be," Borja said. "But it was seen in that
area…maybe they were witnesses to something that may have occurred."
Norma, who was last seen wearing a white, horizontal-striped
sleeveless shirt with a floral pattern and black jeans, was described as
a good daughter who attended school every day. "She has never
been in trouble, she has never run away in the past," Borja said. "We're
not believing that she just ran away, if we did believe that, we
probably wouldn't be here."
Standing in front of cameras, Norma's older sister spoke on behalf of
the family.
"We miss her and we want her home safe," Sonja Lopez said, fighting
back tears. "We just need you back."
Anyone with information about Norma's disappearance is urged to call
the Riverside Sheriff's Dispatch Center at (951) 776-1099 or (877)
242-4345.

Police and volunteers went on a door-to-door search in Riverside County
on Saturday for information on a missing teenager who may have been
taken against her will.
Volunteers also searched a dirt area on horseback Friday night
looking for any sign of Norma
Lopez. The 17-year-old from Moreno Valley went to
summer school Thursday morning at Valley
View High School. Lopez was supposed to meet her sister and a
friend at home but did not return. Some of her belongings
were found in a field Lopez often used as a shortcut to her home,
authorities said. Police said there were signs of a
possible struggle. Authorities said Lopez had no apparent
problems at home and didn't think she had just run away.
"We do not believe she's a runaway. If we did believe that, we
wouldn't be here today," Riverside County sheriff's Sgt. Joe Borja told
reporters at a news conference Friday. "If Norma's out there, we're
looking for you. If you haven't been taken, please call. We're worried
about you."
They're also looking for a green, newer model sport utility
vehicle that was seen speeding from the area. Anyone with
information is urged to call Moreno
Valley Police at (877)

This Google Earth shot shows the High School on the left and surrounding neighborhoods.

A $2,100 reward is being offered for information in the
case of Norma Lopez, a 17-year-old Moreno Valley girl missing since Thursday.

Mike Rios, a Moreno Valley resident who ran for city council in 2008,
has been soliciting donations from the community for the reward. More
information is available at mikerios4mv.wordpress.com.


Norma Lopez, a Moreno Valley teen reported missing on Thursday.
She is pictured wearing the shirt she was last known wearing.

Meanwhile, the Lopez family released a new photo of Norma which shows
her in the black and white striped shirt she was wearing when she was last seen.

Norma had just finished classes at Valley View High School in Moreno
Valley and had planned to meet a friend and her sister at a home in the
27000 block of Cottonwood Avenue, Riverside County sheriff's Sgt. Joe
Borja said. When Norma didn't come home by noon, the family called
police to report her missing.

Norma usually finished class at 10 a.m. and walked south on Nason
Street to Dracaea Avenue, where detectives believe she took a shortcut
through a field, Borja said.

Witnesses reported a newer-model green SUV speeding away from the
area. The driver is being sought for questioning, but police said the
driver may not be a suspect.

Police said Norma had never been in trouble or run away from home.

NonFamily
Abduction

NORMA LOPEZ DOB: Dec 29, 1992 Missing: Jul 15, 2010 Height: 5'7" (170 cm) Eyes: Brown Race: Hispanic Age Now: 17 Sex: Female Weight: 110 lbs (50 kg) Hair: Brown Missing From: MORENO VALLEY CA United States Norma was last seen on July 15, 2010 in the 27000 block of Cottonwood Avenue in Moreno Valley, California. She was last seen wearing a black and white striped sleeveless shirt with a floral pattern and blue jeans.

ANYONE HAVING INFORMATION SHOULD CONTACT National Center for Missing & Exploited Children 1-800-843-5678 (1-800-THE-LOST) Riverside County Sheriff's Office (California) 1-800-950-2444

The case of missing 17-year-old Norma Lopez is taking on growing concern.

Investigators said Tuesday her disappearance is a ‘tragic scenario’, a case of ‘child abduction’.

Rewards have grown to $35,000 and the FBI’s Don Roberts says they have joined the
investigation.

“We are here in force to help the Moreno Valley Police Department.
We will not go anywhere until this case is solved.”

Norma was last seen Thursday at Valley View High School where she attended summer school.

Authorities are looking for a green, newer-model SUV-type vehicle that was seen speeding
from an area where she may have been walking.

Body Found May Be Missing Moreno Valley Teen


Lopez family has been informed that a body has been found.



KTLA News

6:04 PM PDT, July 20, 2010


MORENO VALLEY -- Human remains have been found in a Moreno Valley neighborhood, not far from where 17-year-old Norma Lopez was apparently kidnapped last week.

Sheriff's investigators cannot confirm yet if the remains are male or female or if the description of the human remains fit that of Lopez.

The remains are about 3 miles from where Lopez was last seen as she walked home from school.

The body was found by a resident who immediately called law enforcement.

The body was found in a thicket of trees near Theodore St. and Dracaea Ave.

At a news conference Tuesday afternoon, L.A. County Sheriff's spokesman Joe Borja told reporters that the Lopez family had been informed that a body had been found not far from where Norma disappeared last week.

Borja also said the FBI, which was also involved in the investigation, was at the scene gathering evidence.

Earlier, the mayor, city council and the FBI announced a $35,000 reward in the apparent kidnapping of a 17-year old girl.

Norma Lopez was last seen leaving summer-school classes at Valley View High School Thursday morning.

Riverside County Sheriff's detectives say Lopez left school on foot and was expected to meet her younger sister and a friend at the girls' home in the 27000 block of Cottonwood Avenue.

Norma was last seen wearing a black and white horizontal stripe sleeveless shirt with a floral pattern on top and dark blue skinny jeans with black flats.

The Lopez family released a photo of Norma which shows her in that black and white striped shirt.

Family members told police Norma usually walked home from school south on Nason Street to Dracaea Avenue and then took a shortcut through a field south to Cottonwood.

When she did not arrive home, her family searched for her for two hours, according to Riverside County Sheriff's Sgt. Joe Borja.

Borja says items belonging to Lopez were found in a field near her home and there also were signs of a possible struggle.

Authorities did not want to reveal the contents of those belongings, citing the ongoing investigation.

A newer model green-colored SUV was seen in the area of Norma's disappearance.

Borja said the SUV was not considered a suspect vehicle, but that they do want to interview the driver in hopes of learning additional information about the circumstances of Norma's disappearance.

Lopez's family pleaded to television cameras for the girl's return.

"I just wanted to say if you know anything about her, just contact us in any way," Sonja Lopez said through tears at the Friday news conference.

"And if you're watching, sis, please call us. We just need you back. We're not mad at you or anything."

Norma is 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighs 113 lbs.

The FBI and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children joined the Moreno Valley Police Dept. in the investigation.

Anyone with information about Lopez's disappearance is asked to call the Moreno Valley Police Hotline at 1-877-242-4345

This does not sound good. My question is, how could the body be so decomposed already, she's only been missing a few days hasn't she?
Will be keeping her & her family in my prayers.

alwaysbelieve wrote: This does not sound good. My question is, how could the body be so decomposed already, she's only been missing a few days hasn't she?
Will be keeping her & her family in my prayers.

It's been very warm here. Moreno Valley is where I go for Chemo and to see my oncologist.

alwaysbelieve wrote: This does not sound good. My question is, how could the body be so decomposed already, she's only been missing a few days hasn't she?
Will be keeping her & her family in my prayers.

---Howdy Neighbor! I have not read anything about the condition of the body that was discovered. It is possible that the corpse was purposely mutilated to avoid detection immediately. Like you, I am praying it is not Norma but it's too coincidental.

Here's the Google Earth map of where the body was discovered.
Probably in the woods off to the left of the intersection.

An unidentified body was found Tuesday several miles from where a
17-year-old girl disappeared on her way home from summer school last
week.Hours earlier, the family of 17-year-old Norma Lopez pleaded
for her return and authorities offered a $35,000 reward for
information.Riverside County sheriff's Sgt. Joe Borja said the
remains were not immediately identified as female or male. They were
located in a semirural area along a long road lined with utility poles
and with desert scrub on each side.The reward was offered after
efforts to find the girl stalled."If the person that took her is
out there, please let her go," sister Elizabeth Lopez told a news
conference. "She hasn't done anything to anyone to deserve this, at
all."It's the latest disappearance of a teenage girl to cause
anguish in Southern California. Convicted sex offender John Albert
Gardner III is serving a life sentence for killing 17-year-old Chelsea
King in February and 14-year-old Amber Dubois last year in neighboring
San Diego County.Norma Lopez vanished Thursday after attending a
summer class at Valley View High School in Moreno Valley, in the inland
region east of Los Angeles.Personal items and signs of a struggle
were discovered in a field the girl often used as a shortcut home.
Police went door-to-door, and searchers using dogs covered nearby areas
for days.Authorities have not identified any suspects or persons
of interest.FBI investigators have talked to school friends and
other acquaintances and continued to work with county investigators,
said Don Roberts, the FBI's supervisory special agent in Riverside."We
have our own children, and it does not take much motivation for FBI
agents and police officers to work day and night, as we are, to look for
Norma and find clues that will lead to her recovery," Roberts said.Borja
said investigators were acting on the presumption the girl was
kidnapped."We contacted every friend, relative, everybody
available that we can and there's no information that would leave us to
believe that she's a runaway," he said.Borja urged the public to
report suspicious strangers."We're following up all leads,
especially when it pertains to, you know, deviant behavior or behavior
that's not normal toward young females," he said.

Oh no, this is very sad news

A partially decomposed body was found in a desolate, grassy field in
Moreno Valley on Tuesday afternoon, just two miles from where a
17-year-old girl disappeared last week on her walk home from summer
school.

Riverside County Sheriff's Department officials said they have not
determined if the remains are those of Norma Lopez, who authorities
believe was abducted Thursday, triggering a massive search throughout
central Riverside County.

A local resident doing yard work found the body around 3 p.m. about a
mile south of the 60 Freeway, just off Theodore Street, on the eastern
outskirts of the city in an area surrounded by wheat fields, horse
ranches and jagged hills. The remains, which have yet to be identified
as male or female, were found in the tall grass and near a line of trees
but were not otherwise concealed, said Sgt. Joe Borja, a Sheriff's
Department spokesman.

"I know you're all interested in finding out whether this is Norma Lopez
or not, and honestly we do not know," Borja told reporters gathered
several hundred yards from the crime scene. "No matter which way it is,
it's still a tragic event. There's someone out in the field who is
dead."

Officials from the county coroner's office had removed the body by
Tuesday evening.

Borja said late Tuesday that an autopsy will be conducted Wednesday
morning, allowing authorities to determine the sex of the person. The
body was too decomposed to discern that at the scene, he said.
Investigators don't know how long the body was in the field because the
recent heat wave probably accelerated the decomposition, Borja said.

Dental records and DNA tests will also be used to determine whether the
remains are Norma's.

Borja said police warned the Lopez family about the grim discovery, and
they remained secluded in their Moreno Valley home.

Just hours before the body was found, Norma's mother and father appeared
at a news conference at Moreno Valley City Hall and delivered an
emotional plea for their daughter's safe return.

"If someone has her or knows about her, please … just call. We just need
to know about her," her father, Martin, said in Spanish. "It's
destroying us. Every day that passes, every hour."

Norma was reported missing about 12:30 p.m. Thursday by her older
sister, Sonja, after she failed to return home from summer school. She
was out of class at Valley View High School by 10 a.m. and had plans to
meet her older sister and another friend, authorities said.

Investigators said they found some of Norma's belongings, and signs of a
struggle, in a vacant field along Cottonwood Avenue. They are also
looking for the driver and passengers of a newer-model green SUV seen
near the dirt field at the time of her disappearance.

After the body was found, deputies roped off the area and waited for
coroner's officials to arrive and examine the remains. FBI
investigators, assisting the Sheriff's Department in the case, also
went to the scene.

"It could take as short as one day to a week to determine who that
person is," Borja said.

Barin Butler, 44, who owns a horse ranch across the road from where the
body was found, said he had been horseback riding around his property
the day before and had not seen anything suspicious.

Earlier Tuesday, the Sheriff's Department announced a $35,000 reward for
any information leading to Norma's return or the arrest and conviction
of anyone responsible for her abduction.

Authorities urged anyone with information about the case to call (877)
242-4345, or send an e-mail to findnorma@riversidesheriff.org.

MoVal body autopsy results to be released

11:39 AM PDT on Wednesday, July 21, 2010
The results of an autopsy conducted on a body found in
Moreno Valley will be discussed this afternoon.
Authorities have not announced if the body was that of a missing
Moreno Valley girl. Riverside County
sheriff's homicide detectives and Moreno Valley police will hold a
press conference at 2 p.m. to discuss the autopsy and update the
search for Norma Lopez, a 17-year-old who has been missing since
Thursday. Homicide detectives were alerted to
the discovery of a body in a remote Moreno Valley field on
Tuesday. The body was too badly decomposed to determine if the
remains were male or female. An autopsy was conducted this
morning. FBI detectives investigating the girl's
disappearance as a possible kidnapping also combed the scene off
Theodore Street in a grove of trees through the night.
Police say the death appears to be a homicide. No suspects
have been publicly identified. --Richard
Brooks

http://cbs2.com/local/body.found.Moreno.2.1816189.html
snipped
Jul

21, 2010 11:29 am US/Pacific


Police
To Hold News Conference About Missing Girl

MORENO
VALLEY, Calif. (AP) ―Julylice are planning a news conference to discuss
the results of an
autopsy done on human remains found several miles
from where a teenage
girl disappeared last week in Riverside County.

Deputy
Melissa Nieburger, a sheriff's spokeswoman, says the
identification
of the decomposed remains was "related" to the
disappearance of
17-year-old Norma Lopez. She declined to elaborate.

Nieburger
says there have been no arrests in the case. A news conference
was
planned for Wednesday afternoon.

The remains were found Tuesday
and Lopez vanished last Thursday while
returning from a summer
school class in Moreno Valley.

Authorities said Wednesday they have identified decomposed human
remains found near the Southern California site where a 17-year-old girl
disappeared last week.Deputy Melissa Nieburger said the
identification of the body is "related" to the investigation into the
disappearance of Norma Lopez.She declined, however, to say if it
was the body of Lopez or to release more details until an afternoon news
conference.Nieburger said no arrests have been made.A
resident reported finding the human remains Tuesday near an empty
stretch of road lined with utility poles and desert scrub in Moreno
Valley, an inland region about 60 miles east of Los Angeles.Loppez
vanished Thursday on her way home from a summer a summer school class
Valley View High School.Deputies found personal items and signs
of a struggle in a field the girl often used as a shortcut home. Police
went door-to-door, and searchers using dogs worked the areas for days.Investigators
haven't identified any suspects or persons of interest and were
presuming the girl was kidnapped.Lopez's family has pleaded for
her return, and authorities offered a $35,000 reward for information."If
the person that took her is out there, please let her go," sister
Elizabeth Lopez said. "She hasn't done anything to anyone to deserve
this, at all."

Authorities on Wednesday positively identified the partially
decomposed body found on the desolate outskirts of Moreno Valley as that
of Norma Lopez, the 17-year-old high school student who police
suspected was abducted after summer school.
The Riverside County coroner’s office made the determination after a morning autopsy.
The body was found Tuesday afternoon by a local resident doing yard
work in a remote section of town surrounded by wheat fields, just off
the 60 Freeway.
Exposed to the elements during the recent heat wave, the remains were
so decomposed that authorities could not immediately determine the sex
of the deceased, let alone whether it was Norma's body, said Riverside
County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Sgt. Joe Borja.
Borja said investigators still have no suspects in the case, although
a newer model green SUV was seen speeding away from the area where
Norma disappeared.
Norma was reported missing about 12:30 p.m. Thursday by her older
sister, Sonja, after she failed to return home from a summer biology
class at Valley View High School. She was out of class by 10 a.m. and
had plans to meet her older sister and a friend, authorities said.
Investigators said they found some of Norma's belongings, and signs
of a struggle, in a vacant field along Cottonwood Avenue, a popular
shortcut among students just a few blocks from the school. They are also
looking for the driver and passengers of the SUV seen near the field at
the time of her disappearance.
On Tuesday, the Sheriff’s Department announced a $35,000 reward for
information leading to Norma's return or the arrest and conviction of
anyone responsible for her abduction.
Investigators from the Sheriff’s Department and the FBI have
interviewed dozens of friends and associates, as well as local felons
and others who crossed paths with police. Authorities urged anyone with
information about the case to call (877) 242-4345, or send an e-mail to findnorma@riversidesheriff.org.

A body found in east Moreno Valley was identified Wednesday as a
17-year-old girl who was abducted on her way to a friend's house last
week.
Norma Angelica Lopez disappeared the morning of July 15 after
finishing a summer class at Valley View High School and taking a
shortcut through a field, en route to a residence in the 27-300 block
of Cottonwood Avenue, about 2“The
investigation has changed from an abducted person to a homicide,”
Riverside County sheriff's Sgt. Joe Borja said during a news briefing
outside the Moreno Valley Police Department. “We haven't stopped
investigating every lead since we were first notified of the abduction.
We will continue to follow every lead we have.”The
body, found just before 3 p.m. Tuesday in high grass off Theodore
Street, near Dracaea Avenue, could not immediately be identified, and
investigators relied on dental records to confirm it was Norma's,
according to Borja.A property owner doing outdoor work on his tractor spotted the remains.The
area is remote, with few houses. A commercial development lies about a
half-mile from the site, across from a farming operation.“That area was going to be searched eventually,” said Borja.He
confirmed another crime victim's remains were found in the same general
location within the last year, but did not get into the circumstances
of that case.Borja
would not disclose how Norma died, or whether she was sexually
assaulted, noting it was “very vital” to keep the information under
wraps for the sake of the investigation.He urged parents to be vigilant and ensure their children's safety.“There's
a murderer out there. Keep track of your children,” the sergeant said.
“It's probably our worst nightmare that our kids can be taken from the
street and killed.”

This is so sad. Hoping they find the perp and hang him in the desert. Keeping Norma & her family in my prayers.
RIP Norma, your are safe now little one.