Shelbie Lynn Dwyer: Amber alert issued for US girl, 17, who vanished from drug cartel hotspot in Mexico
SINALOA, MEXICO: An Amber Alert was issued in March after a teenage American named Shelbie Lynn Dwyer disappeared in March from a Mexican drug hotspot. Dwyer, 17, has been missing since Friday, March 31, and the Amber Alert was sent out on Monday, April 17.
Dwyer was last seen in a stationery store and an internet cafe in Salvador Alvarado, a town in the Mexican state of Sinaloa. This Mexican state is one of the regions where drug cartel violence is bustling, according to the Mexican news outlet El Milenio. It's unknown if Dwyer was living in Mexico or just visiting. The teen is one of many Americans who have recently disappeared in Mexico. Texas resident Bionce Amaya Cortez who was found dead in Nuevo León, Mexico, Maria del Carmen Lopez, who was kidnapped in Colima, Mexico, and Monica de Leon Barba, who was taken while walking her dog are just a handful of other Americans who disappeared in Mexico in 2023.
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'She may have fallen victim to a crime'
"It is believed that her safety is at risk," the Sinaloa State Prosecutor's Office declared in a statement acquired by El Milenio on Tuesday, April 18. The statement added, "She may have fallen victim to a crime." Dwyer, who was last seen at Salvador Alvarado's Curiosita internet cafe, is missing, and local officials are asking the public for assistance in finding her.
Authorities claimed that Dwyer is five feet tall and has a variety of recognizable tattoos. These include a rose on her right thumb, a small heart on her left middle finger, and birds and hands in prayer on the teen's upper left arm. She also has the words "Bendita," which translates to "blessed" from Spanish, written on her lower right arm and "Muerdeme," which means "bite me," on her buttocks.
'Violent crime is widespread'
The United States State Department has issued a "do not travel" advice for Sinaloa, one of the numerous regions in the country that are plagued with cartel violence. "Violent crime is widespread. Criminal organizations are based in and operating in Sinaloa. US citizens and (lawful permanent residents) have been victims of kidnapping," the department's website states.
Additionally, the government advises "reconsidering" a journey to Baja California, Chihuahua, Durango, Guanajuato, Jalisco, Morelos, or Sonora. Only Campeche and Yucatan are mentioned as requiring "the normal precautions for a trip," and suggests "exercise caution" for the other territories.