Reward in missing girl case increased to $50,000

The reward has been increased to $50,000 for the safe return of a 12-year-old Gainesville girl, who officials say is likely in danger after vanishing three weeks ago.

Maria Gomez-Perez was last seen at her home on May 29 and was reported missing the next day. The reward money, which previously stood at $30,000, has been donated by anonymous business and community members, according to the Hall County Sheriff’s Office.

“As I said last week, someone in the community has that single clue or one piece of information that could lead to finding Maria. I am hopeful the increased reward will prompt that person to come forward,” Sheriff Gerald Couch wrote in a statement Wednesday. “Meanwhile, our personnel remain vigilant in their investigation.”

More than 140 tips have already been fielded by the Hall County Sheriff’s Office and other local, state and federal law enforcement during the search for Maria, whose family is from Guatemala, Couch previously said. Many of those tips were examined and went nowhere, while others remain under investigation, authorities said.

The sheriff’s office said community members searching for Maria should expect her appearance to have changed over the past several weeks.

“Those who are searching on their own should be very cautious and not conduct their own investigations into Maria’s disappearance,” officials said. “Individual searches could be dangerous for citizens and for Maria as well.”

Couch said at a June 11 press conference that investigators believed she may have made contact with an unknown person who picked her up from her house. He said there was a chance Maria left willingly, but that she still could be in danger.

“She’s a child, and to be gone (this) long, that’s a serious issue,” the sheriff said. “But yes, I do consider her in danger. Very much so.”

The FBI, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, GBI, Gainesville Police Department and the Consulate General of Guatemala have been assisting Hall County deputies in the search, which saw investigators speak with family members, friends and school acquaintances and visit Maria’s home several times.

Consulate representatives and FBI agents trained in the Guatemalan dialect that Maria’s family speaks helped local investigators during interviews with community members, the sheriff’s office said.

When asked why an Amber Alert, known as a Levi’s Call in Georgia, was not issued, Couch said the circumstances of the case did not meet the criteria as set by the GBI. He said the sheriff’s office could only share a generic description of Maria, and that they didn’t have a description of a suspected abductor, or the vehicle.

Instead, Couch said the sheriff’s office went on a “media blitz” which included posters, digital billboards and distribution of an alert through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Any tips regarding Maria’s disappearance should be directed to the Hall County Sheriff’s Office Special Investigations Unit at 770-503-3232 or intelrequest@hallcounty.org. Tips can also be phoned in to 911 or Hall County dispatch at 770-536-8812.