On the morning of November 5th, 2018, 13 year old Hania Noelia Aguilar was abducted from outside of her home in Lumberton, Robeson County, North Carolina.
The abduction happened just before 7AM while Hania stood outside of her home at 3525 Elizabethtown road, Rosewood mobile home park, as she waited for a family member to drive her to school. She had asked her aunt to hand her the car keys so she could start the engine of the family SUV and left the vehicle running on the driveway while she waited outside.
That’s when a man clad in black clothes with a yellow bandana covering his face approached her, and according to a witness, dragged her kicking and screaming into the vehicle before driving off. A neighbor told investigators that they heard the young girl screaming and made a phone call to 911 at exactly 6:58AM. A dispatcher relayed the information to the local Lumberton police a couple of minutes later.
The SUV, which is described as a green 2002 Ford expedition with a weathered paint job and license plate reading NWS-984, was found abandoned three days later on the 8th around Quincey Drive in Lumberton. According to this report, the vehicle had been reversed into the surrounding wooded area.
Quincey drive is just 8 miles from the abduction site and would be around a 12 – 15 minute drive via Highway 72.
The vehicle was reported to the local authorities who then retrieved it and collected DNA samples which were then sent off to a lab for testing. No further information on what was found in the car has been released to the public.
Hania Aguilar is an 8th grader enrolled at Lumberton Junior high. She is Hispanic, has long black hair and brown eyes, weights around 126lbs and is 5 feet tall. She was last seen wearing blue denim jeans paired with a blue top with a flower design on it.
This picture was taken just one day before the 13 year old was abducted from outside her own home.
Soon after the 13 year old was kidnapped the FBI released surveillance footage that was recorded just hours before Hania was taken from her home. The footage shows a man dressed in light colored pants and a hoody casually walking nearby the mobile home park where the teenager lived. According to ABC11, the unidentified individual walks to Elizabethtown Road via Lambeth Street and highway 41.
Investigators want to question the man in connection with case and urged the individual to come forward. So far no such person has been reported to have done so. Those in the local community have been asked to review the tape to see if they can help identify the man by his body type, the distinctive way he walks, his clothing style or his mannerisms. They have also been asked to submit any CCTV footage of their own from the morning of the 5th. Anyone with information about the missing girl is urged to leave a tip at the following number: (910) 272-5871. The FBI is requesting legitimate information only (no matter how insignificant it may be) and have asked those following the case not to report false sightings that may hinder the investigation- such as one report of someone claiming to have seen the missing girl in Charlotte.
The missing girl’s mother expressed her thoughts and feelings in a letter written Spanish, which was then translated and published publicly on her social media account:
“I trust in God that my daughter will return. No one knows the pain I have in my heart. Despite all the criticism and speculation against me, I would never use my daughter’s name in order to take advantage of this situation. I thank all those people who have provided me help. Please, if you know something, call. I ask everyone not to make absurd comments. For the love of God respect my pain. I only want Hania, my princess, back. I miss her.” She wrote.
There is a $20,000 reward currently standing. $5,000 for information and $15,000 for the return.
(Edit: The reward is now standing at a total of $30,000.)
The FBI have released a criminal profile of the suspect, detailing how they believe the person who abducted Hania Noelia Aguilar may be acting. The have told people in the local area to look for an individual who may have failed to show up for work, has neglected to keep appointments, has been avoiding answering phone calls or responding to texts or messages over social media and displays recent changes in behavior.
Police, who have been searching the local and surrounding area with dogs and drones encourage locals to check their own backyards and around their properties for anything that may be out of place or amiss.
Hania’s family told police that they have no clue who could have taken her and why. Hania’s mother completely rejects claims that her daughter ran away and the FBI believe the family are being honest and also believe that Hania, wherever she may be, is likely alive.
UPDATE: Body found in Robeson County identified as Hania Aguilar [X]
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