Tip about missing girl goes nowhere

Jace Radke

Tuesday, Dec. 14, 1999 | 9:42 a.m.

Metro Police spent nearly two hours searching the Glass Pool Inn on the south end of the Las Vegas Strip Monday night after they got a tip that someone there might know the whereabouts of 7-year-old Karla Rodriguez, who has been missing since Oct. 20.

Around 10:30 p.m. about a dozen officers arrived at the motel, at 4613 Las Vegas Blvd. South. The officers searched every room that was rented out for the evening and questioned all of the motel's occupants but found no trace of the Las Vegas girl or anyone who had information about her.

"We got a phone call from a reliable source saying someone with information about Karla was staying here," Sgt. Tom Wagner said. "We searched the building very thoroughly but didn't find anything."

Wagner and other officers went door-to-door through the motel, checked the perimeter and even the roof but found no clues that could lead to the missing 7-year-old.

Rodriguez was last seen playing with friends about 7 p.m. on Oct. 20 in the 700 block of Bonita Avenue near Sixth Street and St. Louis Avenue.

Massive door-to-door manhunts and national media attention was focused on the disappearance.

Police have contacted Rodriguez's extended family in California and Mexico but are not making much headway in the case.

"Last week we felt like we had absolutely exhausted every lead in this case," Wagner said. "I wish we had a suspect or a description, but we don't. We are just continuing to actively pursue the case."