A statewide Amber Alert lit up phones across California on Monday night after 4-year-old Daleza Fregoso was reported abducted in the Arlington Heights/Crenshaw area of Los Angeles. Authorities say she was last seen around 4 a.m. on May 24 near Alsace Avenue and Ferndale Street and is believed to be with 40-year-old Ruben Fregoso. Daleza is described as about 3 feet tall and 45 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes, and investigators say the pair may be associated with a white 2019 Land Rover Discovery with California license plate 9DAW715.
What authorities say
The California Highway Patrol issued the AMBER Alert statewide on behalf of the Los Angeles Police Department, according to an alert relayed by the National Weather Service. The bulletin lists both Daleza and suspect Ruben Fregoso by name and description, along with the Land Rover and license plate information now in circulation to motorists and broadcasters. Officials are asking anyone who spots the child, the suspect or has information on their whereabouts to call 911 immediately.
Where they were last seen and the vehicle
Authorities say Daleza was last seen at about 4 a.m. May 24 near Alsace Avenue and Ferndale Street, and that the two may be traveling in a white 2019 Land Rover Discovery with California plate 9DAW715, ABC7 reports. According to ABC7, the SUV was later found, but Daleza and the suspect were not with the vehicle. Investigators have not released details about where the Land Rover was recovered or what led them to it.
How the public can help
Officials are urging anyone who might have seen the child, the suspected abductor or the vehicle to contact law enforcement without delay and to hang on to any potentially useful video, including dash-cam or security footage, CBS Los Angeles reports. Police say tips can also be taken at local LAPD stations as detectives canvass surrounding neighborhoods and chase down leads. The Amber Alert remains active while officers continue the search.
What an AMBER Alert means
AMBER Alerts are reserved for child-abduction cases where law enforcement believes a child faces imminent danger and has enough descriptive information to enlist the public's help, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. When activated, the system blasts urgent messages to phones, posts notices on highway signs and interrupts regular programming through broadcasters, all in an effort to spread critical details as fast as possible. That is the process CHP and LAPD used to circulate Daleza's name and the description of the white Land Rover throughout the region.
