Local

Latest ‘Homeward Bound’ trucks feature missing Kennewick girl Sofia Juarez

Homeward Bound truck featuring Sofia Juarez
Homeward Bound truck featuring Sofia Juarez (Washington State Patrol)

KENNEWICK, Wash. — Two semitrucks are featuring another local missing child in hopes of generating leads from the public.

On Feb. 4, on the 18th anniversary of her disappearance, the Washington State Patrol unveiled two new Homeward Bound semitruck trailers featuring Sofia Juarez.

The WSP Missing and Unidentified Persons Unit heads up the Homeward Bound program, which uses commercial trucks to increase public awareness about area missing children.

Juarez disappeared in Kennewick the day before her 5th birthday on Feb. 4, 2003. Police said she tried to follow a family member to the store and was never seen again.

The Kam-Way Transportation trucks feature photos of Juarez as she looked in 2003, as well as an age-progressed photo of what she might look like at 17 years old.

In the years since Juarez disappeared, the Kennewick Police Department has followed every lead in the search for the girl and amassed a case file of more than 20,000 pages.

“We had thousands of people, not just from Kennewick and the Tri-Cities community, but from the surrounding areas, assisting us as well,” said Kennewick Police Department Chief Ken Hohenberg.

Hohenberg said the case continues to be a priority for the department.

Anyone with information about what happened to Sofia Juarez, or any other missing person, is asked to call 1-800-THE-LOST or 1-800-843-5678.

0