COSTA RICA NEWS – After five days of an intensive search, police have come up empty handed in locating six year Yerelyn Guzmán Calvo, who went missing last Friday.
Today, day seven of her disappearance, authorities have expanded their of San Martín de Santo Domingo de Heredia, have added more people and in addition to search dogs on the ground, are using helicopters to search from above.
A search is also being made of the rio Virilla. Weather conditions today (Thursday), however, is hampering the search efforts.
Jorge Guzmán Benavides and Hellen Calvo Bolaños, Yerelyn’s parents, are confident that their daughter is alive and are making an appeal to Guzmán’s cousin, a 24 year old man in police custody that if took her, to tell where she is.
Speaking into the cameras as if talking directly to his cousin, Jorge says “If it was you who took her, if you know where my daughter is, I ask, please, say where she is and God forgive you.”
On Wednesday the Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ) said they have a video from a security camera where Guzmán (the suspect) is seen with the little girl near the house she lives. That and acussations of sexual abuses of four other children, brothers of the missing girl, the Juzgado Penal de Heredia has ordered him to three months preventive detention.
“I am sure that she is alive, I feel strong, but I have not slept well. I need to find my daughter, it’s my priority, even if I have to give my life for her, I do so and that of my wife also,” said the girl’s father.
“Many are criticizing us on Facebook, that maybe we don’t want our daughter, because my wife is calm. You don’t have to cry to say we are desperate,”, said Yerelyn’s father in reference to the typical news images of desperate mothers sobbing uncontrollably for their missing children.
Some 175 officers of the Fuerza Publica (police), Bomberos (firefighters) and Cruz Roja (Red Cross), and eight officials of the mounted police unit and the Air Surveillance service of the Ministerio de Seguridad, in addition to dozens of individuals are all involved in the search for the missing girl.
Juan José Andrade, director of the Fuerza Publica, said that they are overtuning every stone, mound, coffee plantation and empty lot, on foot and by air. The police chief explained that the helicopter is equipped with an infrared device “that detects body heat, dead or alive.”
Andrade added that some 70 roadblocks have been set around the country and asks the public to “have patience” when they are stopped on the roads and are asked to have their vehicles searched.
Sources: La Nacion; CRHoy
