Adriana Coronado has been missing since Saturday, and authorities fear the 14-year-old girl is in imminent danger. The Walker County Sheriff’s Department recently released surveillance video of a “person of interest,” and investigators want the public’s help in identifying him.
In the video, an unidentified, heavyset man is seen running away from a truck. The man may be connected to the teen’s disappearance and the death of her father.
VIDEO: Walker County Sheriff’s Office released video of person of interest in Adriana Coronado case #AmberAlert https://t.co/eh2wxT7TLb
— FBI Houston (@FBIHouston) March 18, 2016
As reported by CNN News , authorities discovered the dead body of Adriana’s father, Caesar Vladimir Coronado , on Sunday. His severely burned body was found discarded in a ditch on a rural property near Interstate 45 and Highway 75. It is believed Caesar was shot before he died.
Mr. Coronado’s pickup truck was later discovered in Conroe, Texas, about 45 miles south of where the body was found. It had been abandoned and also set on fire.
Adriana was last seen early Saturday in the Houston, Texas, suburb of Katy. Investigators believe the teen was with her father when he was killed.
The surveillance video appears to show a Ford F-150 driving into a parking area and stopping just outside the camera’s view. Then, six minutes later, a burst of light is seen followed by a man running away.
Investigators think the burst of light is the truck being set on fire. The same man is seen in another video running down an adjacent alley and into a different parking lot. There is reason to believe the unknown suspect may have been picked by a dark-colored SUV.
During a press conference, Walker County Sheriff Clint McRae emphasized the importance of finding this person as he may be the key to solving the case. Authorities believe Adriana may still be in the Houston area and are continuing the search under the assumption she is still alive.
UPDATE: authorities have no motive in case, case going on as 14 y/o Adriana Coronado is still alive pic.twitter.com/N0VQ8gmnZm
— KPRC2Jonathan (@KPRC2Jonathan) March 17, 2016
As recently reported by the Inquisitr , an Amber Alert for Adriana was issued on Monday after authorities determined she was missing. She is Hispanic, five feet tall, and weighs 105 pounds. She often wears black-framed glasses and has brown eyes.
According to the director of the Texas EquuSearch Mounted Search and Recovery Team, Tim Miller, teams are searching 100 square miles in three counties north of Houston. The group has not disclosed specifics of the search area.
“We are driving (around), doing recon work, and picking out places that need to be searched,” he said.
#AmberAlert for Adriana Coronado, 14, her dad was shot and his burned body found in a ditch https://t.co/qC5Lhyxfhn pic.twitter.com/BCnQGP5PQK
— NBC DFW (@NBCDFW) March 15, 2016
Members of an FBI team that specializes in child abductions as well as the U.S. Custom and Border Patrol are also assisting in the search.
Wednesday night, many of Adriana’s friends gathered outside her apartment and prayed. Ed Reveuelta, a classmate at Mayde Creek High School, described the last time he heard from his friend.
“She seemed happy, calm, it was a usual day. We went home and she texted me around 7:30. She texted me and I responded and she didn’t read my message so that was the last time she texted me.”
So far, there has been no demand for ransom, and many of the tips received by police have not brought them any closer to finding her. Investigators have not come up with a motive and do not know why Adriana and her father were in Walker County.
McRae said it is crucial they find and interview the man appearing in the video. Since the footage was taken at night, the video is dark and there is no clear shot of the man’s face.
Police hope someone who is familiar with the suspect can identify him through his gait, his clothing, and his build. The man is possibly Hispanic, according to the sheriff’s office.
Investigators are urging anyone who may know the unidentified man or the whereabouts of missing teen Adriana Coronado to call the Walker County Sheriff’s Department at 963-453-2400.
[Images via Facebook]
