Law enforcement in California is in a race against time to locate Andrea Vasquez, a 19-year-old who was reportedly kidnapped after a shooting incident in a park. The event unfolded in the wee hours of Sunday at Penn Park in Whittier, a suburb located about 20 miles southeast of Los Angeles.
The Whittier Police Department reports that an armed individual targeted the vehicle Vasquez and her boyfriend were in, discharging a weapon. The boyfriend managed to flee the scene, but when he returned, he discovered signs of blood near the car and Vasquez was missing.
Edlyn Vasquez, Andrea’s sister with whom she lives in Los Angeles, has turned to social media to solicit help from the public in finding her sister. She expressed her fear and uncertainty about Andrea’s condition and pleaded for anyone with information to step forward.
Emily Martinez, a family member of Vasquez living in Las Vegas, informed the media that the last known signal from Vasquez’s phone was traced to the Moreno Valley area, approximately 50 miles east of Whittier Park. Martinez painted a picture of Vasquez as a lively and loved individual, sharing memories of their trip to Cancun and Vasquez’s humorous antics. She also revealed that Vasquez had been working with her sister, a lash artist, and had a passion for cosmetology.
Vasquez, who is 5-foot-3 and weighs 103 pounds, was last seen in a black long-sleeve crop top, khaki pants, and black low-top Converse shoes. She has a tattoo of her sister’s name, Edlyn, on the back of her neck, an Aries constellation on her right hand, and a belly button piercing. The family is in the dark about who could have been behind the incident.
The Whittier Police Department has called on anyone with information to reach out to their detectives or the tipline. They have not yet commented on the case.