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EXCLUSIVE | 'Something bad happened': Police find missing Jolissa Fuentes' body after sister Irene says cops not doing enough

Jolissa Fuentes was last seen on surveillance footage at a Selma on August 7 and her crashed car was found over the edge of a cliff near the lake
UPDATED OCT 12, 2022
Jolissa Fuentes' sister Irene has described her as her 'best friend' (Pictures provided by Irene Fuentes and Norma Nunez)
Jolissa Fuentes' sister Irene has described her as her 'best friend' (Pictures provided by Irene Fuentes and Norma Nunez)

Update: Selma Police Chief Rudy Alcaraz who was leading the investigation into Jolissa Fuentes’ disappearance personally found her body on October 10, Monday night and confirmed her death on October 11.

“I just got lucky in finding the location where her car went off the road,” Alcaraz said in a news conference Tuesday, October 11.  After stopping his patrol car near a curve in the road, he saw tire tracks in the dry brush, he said. He found Fuentes' crashed car north of Pine Flat over the edge of a cliff down to the lake, 60 miles east from Fresno. Authorities say it appears her car went off Trimmer Springs Road near Maxon Road, north of Pine Flat Lake. They believe she died as the result of a car accident.

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SELMA, CALIFORNIA: The search for 22-year-old Jolissa Fuentes is underway but no trace of the missing Selma woman has been found yet. Jolissa's family's pain is perhaps impossible to imagine as they wait for some news, an update, or a little assurance that their girl will be home soon. Fuentes was last seen on surveillance footage at a Selma, California, gas station around 4 am on August 7, about 16 miles south of Fresno. Nobody has heard from her since. She disappeared while she was out getting snacks.

"I think she was just out really late and something bad happened," Fuentes' sister, Irene Fuentes, told MEAWW. "I have no clue. I wish I did, but I don't. I spoke to her at 12 am, a few hours before she went missing. I video called her on Facebook and she answered and told me she was with her friends and would call me later."

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Fuentes left a party to go home, stopping at a gas station for a snack. It is believed that she may have gone to the area near Pine Flat and Avocado Lake. Police have spent hours searching in the weeks since her disappearance using 16 off-road vehicles.

Jolissa Fuentes with her brothers and sisters (L-R) Jordan, Irene, Joziah and Joey (Image provided by Norma Nunez)
Jolissa Fuentes with her brothers and sisters (L-R) Jordan, Irene, Joziah and Joey (Image provided by Norma Nunez)

"I would describe Jolissa as the funniest person ever. She had a big heart. She loved all her family and friends and children. She loved music. She was not shy or quiet. Everyone loves her," Irene said. "Me and her are three years apart. I'm her big sister. Mine and her bond is like no other. We're best friends. I would take her to hangout with my friends and she'll take me to hangout with hers. We were as close as sisters can be."

Jolissa with her brother Joziah and sister Irene (Image provided by Norma Nunez)
Jolissa with her brother Joziah and sister Irene (Image provided by Norma Nunez)

Selma, California, Police Chief Rudy Alcaraz recently said investigators are treating Fuentes' case as "a criminal matter". She also said that the police are going to find her no matter what it makes. But Irene seems unsure about their efforts at finding her sister. "I would like to tell the police I wish they would try their hardest. Try as hard as if Jolissa was one of their own daughters or sisters. I feel they don't put a lot of effort into looking for her. I only see me and my family when I'm out searching for her," she said.

Jolissa Fuentes was last seen on surveillance footage at a gas station in Selma around 4 am on August 7 (Image provided by Norma Nunez)
Jolissa Fuentes was last seen on surveillance footage at a gas station in Selma around 4 am on August 7 (Image provided by Norma Nunez)

"I wish law enforcement would do a lot more. I know they can follow the cameras or do something. They aren't trying their hardest," she added. An Oregon-based volunteer diving search team called Adventures With Purpose (AWP) is assisting in finding Fuentes. Meanwhile, Internet sleuths have come together to form a Facebook group called 'Find Jolissa Fuentes', where they have been sharing clues, ideas, and praying for Fuentes' safe return. 

"I appreciate the general public," Irene said. "They have been more helpful than the police have been. Always sharing her pictures and posts and helping my family out whether it be with flyers or bringing us waters and even praying for us. I appreciate everyone so much. I just wanna thank you and everyone else who has been trying to help. I appreciate everyone."

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