Relatives Seek Answers On Anniversary Of Woman's Disappearance
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NORTH MIAMI (CBSMiami) - It's been a year since 54-year-old Noemi Gonzalez vanished without a trace from the North Miami duplex that she shared with her son Pedrito. Her loved ones, from New York and New Jersey, have returned to South Florida to meet with police and ask for the community's help.
"She was special. She was special to us," said Efrain Gonzalez as he wept for his missing younger sister.
"She was the kind of girl that helped everybody, regardless of what," he told CBS4's Peter D'Oench. "There are no words to explain. She was everything to us."
D'Oench spoke with Gonzalez and his siblings outside Noemi Gonzalez's home at N.W. 136TH St. and N.E. 4th Ave.
Her son said he last saw her at 2 a.m. when she was sleeping in her bedroom and when he woke up at 8 a.m., he said she had disappeared, leaving behind her purse, keys and cell phone. The front door was closed and unlocked. She suffered from epileptic seizures and needed daily medication and had never disappeared before.
"It would mean the whole world to me to find her. I just can't describe it," said Efrain Gonzalez. "It would be a great deal. It would be everything to us."
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Liz Gonzalez, Noemi's sister and the family spokeswoman, said, "Unfortunately there's no clue. It's baffling to us. We have no idea what happened to her."
Noemi Gonzalez was a former school crossing guard and 9-1-1 dispatcher.
"There are no words to say what it would mean to find Noemi," said Liz Gonzalez. "As a family we've been united for an entire year and are doing everything and anything possible to find her. Bringing her home would make this family whole again because we are not whole without her."
Cbs4 followed her family to North Miami Police headquarters where they met with detectives including lead detective Diana Roman.
"In the 16 years that I have been with the City of Miami, I have never, ever seen a case like this," she said. "We have no suspects at this time. This is very frustrating."
There is a $10,000 reward in this case. Roman said there have been no sitings of Noemi Gonzalez since she disappeared.
"That's why we are begging people for help," she said. "We need information. Somebody knows something."
"Please if you've seen anything, please come forward," said Efrain Gonzalez.
Pedrito Gonzalez has said he has no idea what happened to his mother.
Liz Gonzalez said she will never give up hope that someday her sister will be found.
Anyone with information should call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at (305) 471-TIPS (8477).
