Search for missing 12-year-old Hall County girl enters second week

HALL COUNTY, Ga. — The search for a missing 12-year-old girl from Hall County is moving into its second week.

Maria Gomez-Perez vanished from her home on May 29 and hasn’t been seen since.

Channel 2′s Candace McCowan joined leaders from 15 churches in Gainesville as they searched for the missing girl. Their efforts included several K9 searches, even at Lake Lanier.

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“One of the things that was said a lot was that it was that Maria was a little Latino little girl and that nobody cares about a little Latino girl,” organizer Norma Hernandez said.

Earlier this week, Hall County Sheriff Gerald Couch released a statement saying he is grateful for the community’s support.

“Our community as a whole has faced numerous challenges over the years, but our resilience and determination always carry us through. Our top priority remains the safe return of Maria. I assure you that we are leaving no stone unturned in our pursuit of a successful outcome,” he wrote in part.

The sheriff’s office announced Friday that anonymous citizens are offering $20,000 as a reward in Gomez-Perez’s disappearance.

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He says the community and law enforcement alike are doing everything they can to find Gomez-Perez.

“Just on the investigator front, the FBI provided a dozen personnel, Homeland Security has contributed six agents and the GBI has given us four agents, bringing the total number of investigators on this case to 70 people, including several intelligence analysts,” Couch said.

Investigators say they’ve handed out nearly 5,000 fliers and received nearly 70 tips, all of which have been investigated.

Friends and family are planning a vigil for Wednesday evening at the Atlanta Road Church of Christ at 6 p.m.

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