FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Fox 4 sat down with mother of missing Diana Alvarez, Saturday, after newly available documents shed light on a disturbing confession in the case.
A memorial for 9-year-old Diana Alvarez remains in her family's back yard. Her mother, Rita Hernandez, tells Fox 4 she has dreams about her daughter coming home. "I've dreamt about her. I've dreamt about her playing with my hair; she loved doing my hair. She came back from school and said 'mommy, I'm back!'" she said in Spanish.
However, her reality is much different. She spends her days thinking about Diana's wellbeing. "You start thinking, where can she be? Has she eaten? Is she hungry? It's hard seeing her little friends playing in the street."
May 29th, 2016, Diana disappeared from their home in San Carlos. Their ex-roommate, Jorge Guerrero, immediately became a suspect. He was arrested, after police found explicit pornographic pictures of a child on his phone. Newly available court documents reveal that he admitted they were of Diana.
The documents also detail a confession made by Guerrero, in which he admitted he engaged in sexual activity with the girl on a weekly basis after he moved into a spare bedroom in her home in June of 2015. He told investigators, "bad things happen when he smokes crystal," and "he was scared because he knows it's not normal to be sexually active with a 9-year-old girl."
The information is highly disturbing and heartbreaking for Hernandez. It's one of the only updates she's gotten about the case, as she tells Fox 4 authorities have left the family in the dark. "She's a 9-year-old girl, not a grown woman. The pain I'm feeling as a mom, it's unbearable," Hernandez said through tears. "I've asked for help from the feds, but they've ignored me."
With lack of information, Diana's family keeps praying. A memorial of stuffed animals remains for her in her neighborhood. It continues to grow, even ten months later, as her family holds out hope that Diana is still alive. Her mother pleads with Guerrero to help them find her. "Jorge, if you know where my daughter is, confess. I'm not one to judge him. God will judge him," she said.
Despite the confession, the family's attorney says they need physical evidence to link Guerrero to Diana's disappearance. Guerrero's attorney plans to attempt to get all the evidence found on his phone thrown out in court. That court appearance will be on April 20th.
Fox 4 will continue following this story and be at the hearing to bring you the latest details.
