Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Police baffled by girl’s disappearance

After three days of searching for a missing 7-year-old girl, police said Saturday they are baffled that she has disappeared without a trace.

Karla Rodriguez has been missing since Wednesday. Her mother last saw her walking to school, but the girl never made it. Children in her neighborhood told police they played with Karla around 7 p.m. Wednesday.

But despite searching the neighborhood south of downtown and using bloodhounds to track the girl's scent, police have no leads.

"Nothing is panning out with substantial information," police Lt. Brad Simpson said Saturday.

He said Karla has a history of missing a lot of school, so the fact that she wasn't in class Wednesday did not alarm the school.

The girl's parents reported her missing Thursday morning. They assumed she had been spending the night with a friend.

Simpson said volunteers with Nevada Child Seekers were going door-to-door Saturday, asking people for information about Karla. Police have searched the girl's neighborhood and nearby streets on foot and by car. Bloodhounds were brought in but found nothing. Roadblocks were set up in the area so officers could ask motorists if they had any information.

Officers are visiting small hotels, searching empty rooms for the girl and talking to guests. Police are also tracking down known sex offenders to interview them.

Simpson said the girl's parents have been cooperative and are not suspects.

"There's nothing to lead us to believe they're involved in this right now," he said.

As the hours pass, Simpson said officers are becoming more anxious about the disappearance.

"We're at a loss. It's not common for a 7-year-old to be gone this long. We're worried," he said.

Karla was last wearing a black jacket, a blue and white striped shirt and red pants. Her fingernails are painted green. She speaks English, but her primary language is Spanish.

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