FORT MYERS, Fla. -- A Private Investigator addresses the question on many minds: Will Diana Alvarez ever be found?
Authorities have suspended all searches for the nine year old, more than two weeks after she vanished from her San Carlos Park home. The prime suspect in her disappearance, 28 year old Jorge Guerrero has just been indicted on sexual exploitation charges after child porn images were reportedly found on his phone.
Diana's family told Fox 4 early on during her disappearance they suspected Guerrero could have taken Diana after noticing hugging between Guerrero and their daughter. The mother, Rita Jimenez telling Four In Your Corner it made her uncomfortable.
Jimenez continues to plead with the community for prayers to bring her daughter home. Holding back tears she tells media in a press conference she still believes her daughter is alive.
"I'd like to tell everyone to please keep praying for my girl. I know she's still alive."
Diana's striking disappearance burdening the hearts of the community has gained national attention, but the clock is still ticking and there's still no sign of Diana returning home. The family's attorney reassures Four In Your Corner the investigation will continue despite the halt in a physical search.
"I have been reassured and the family has been assured that there would be no stone left unturned," Tom Brusetta said. "That this investigation is not over, it's not winding down."
Four In Your Corner sat down with private investigator Walt Zalisko who is not affiliated with the case, to find out where the investigation could go from here.
"A lot of times these cases can take months, and she could be alive somewhere. She could be in hiding or somebody's hiding her."
In hiding or worse. "Possibly she was abducted to be sexually abused, she could have been abducted for trafficking purposes."
And he says the speculation she could be en route to Mexico to be with her biological father should still be considered. "Although he denies it at this time, she could be en route...we don't know."
And as we wait for answers, time of the essence. "It's still going to be worked on. How long they're going to work on it, that's the question. Until they decide its basically a cold case."
Sheriff Mike Scott recently released a statement to Fox 4 reassuring us there aren't any additional suspects being investigated in the case. And while a physical search has been suspended, they are focused on this active investigation to find Diana.
