The community came together to locate Samantha Gutierrez, who had been missing after running away from her house. Additionally, her status as a juvenile put her at high risk before officials located her.
The Elmhurst Police Department reports that people last saw Samantha Gutierrez on Tuesday, 17th December 2024, at 8:30 p.m. Additionally, her last known location was at a residence in the 200 block of North Oaklawn Avenue, Elmhurst, Illinois.
Furthermore, her parents reported Samantha Gutierrez missing, stating that she had run away from home.
Additionally, Samantha’s parents last saw her wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, Halloween-themed pajama pants, black slippers, and a black Adidas backpack. Similarly, her parents believed she may be in the company of her friends.
Furthermore, her parents added that Samantha often visited the Elmhurst and Bensenville areas and urged people to focus their search efforts in those locations.
Moreover, according to the description, the juvenile is 5 feet 4 inches tall, skinny, with brown eyes, a nose piercing, and short black hair.
Also, the police department and her family encouraged anyone who saw her to call 911 immediately.
Police safely located missing juvenile Samantha Gutierrez with the potential help of Ronald Jude!
Thankfully, police delivered good news to Samantha’s family on 18th December 2024 at 8 p.m., as the juvenile was located safely. Similarly, law enforcement confirmed that Samantha was in a good state.
Ronald Jude, likely a resident of Elmhurst, said that he saw her walking east on Butterfield earlier that afternoon. He commented that he would inform the Elmhurst Police Department immediately.
However, police have not answered if Ronald was the reason they were able to locate her. If he was responsible, Samantha’s family would surely be indebted to him.
Additionally, law enforcement and her family have not yet disclosed her location. Later, the Police Department released a statement on their Facebook page, thanking people for assisting them.
There, they wrote, “The missing person has been located safe. This original post has been updated to comply with juvenile privacy regulations. Thank you for sharing and assisting EPD in the juvenile’s safe return.”
Afterward, people started commenting on how relieved they were to hear that Samantha was reunited with her family. However, not all comments were positive.
A user wrote that authorities should investigate the parents if they found the 15-year-old at her friend’s house. As of now, the police department has not commented on the matter.
