Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials issued another public plea Wednesday for help finding a 16-year-old girl who disappeared from the Carson area in January and hasn’t been seen since.
Alinka Angeline Castaneda is described as Hispanic, 5 feet 5 inches tall, weighing 150 pounds, with short blonde hair and brown eyes, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. She was last seen around 5 a.m. Jan. 1 in the 23000 block of South Caroldale Avenue, wearing a black shirt, sweatpants, and a gold necklace.
Sheriff’s officials released an updated photo of the girl Wednesday in hopes of generating leads in the search. A $100,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the teen.
At a news conference last month, the teen’s relatives said she disappeared without her cell phone or any other possessions. According to the family, the teen called two weeks later and spoke to her younger sister — a call that authorities traced to the Venice area.
“The sister said Alinka sounded scared in her voice, and that she didn’t know where she was, but said that they (won’t) let her go,” Moses Castillo, an investigator working with the family, told reporters.
In late February, the teen called again, saying she was at Union Station and would be home that night, but she never arrived.
Castillo said the family fears their daughter is being held against her will, possibly by gang members who are trafficking her.
Anyone with information regarding Alinka’s whereabouts was asked to contact the LASD Carson Station at 310-847-8362.