Hania Aguilar's family preparing to spend Thanksgiving with the teen missing

Thursday, November 22, 2018
Community remains hopeful in search for missing girl
Community remains hopeful in search for missing girl Hania Aguilar.

LUMBERTON, N.C. (WTVD) -- Hania Aguilar's family heads into the holiday season with a heavy heart -- the 13-year-old remains missing more than two weeks after being kidnapped from her yard.



There are still no signs of her or her abductor.



With time passing, the community is still hopeful but nervous.



"She's a young girl, a young girl and her mom, I know her mom is hurting," said Patsy Jones a neighbor who lives next door to Hania's family church.



On Wednesday, Hania's mother and loved ones attended a private service at St. Andrews Catholic Church in Red Springs.



"I wish I had information," Jones said.


The FBI said it desperately needs information right now.



Although detectives say tips from the community are coming in, they want surveillance video. Authorities are expanding that request for video to all of Robeson County, including hunters with deer cameras.



Authorities want images in the area of Rosewood Mobile Home Park off Elizabethtown Road and Quincey Drive between Nov. 5 and 8, where Hania was snatched and the stolen getaway vehicle was found.



The community is keeping Hania's return home top of mind.



"That's my Thanksgiving prayer," said Jones. "I pray that she'll be all right."


Authorities have a number of leads that they are following.



They say rumors about this investigation on social media are hindering their efforts.



The FBI is asking people to look around their properties and call the tip line if they notice anything out of the ordinary, or if they see a person acting strangely.



The tip line is (910) 272-5871. There's a combined $30,000 reward between the FBI and the State of North Carolina for information that leads to finding Hania and the person or persons responsible for her abduction.

Copyright © 2024 WTVD-TV. All Rights Reserved.