Kimberly Irene Chavez Lopez was 3 years old and from Oxnard, California, when she was last seen in June 2015. Her case only drew public attention in July 2016 when Ventura County Children and Family Services sought to check on her welfare; she had been under CFS oversight since birth because her mother, Mayra Chavez-Lopez, struggled with drug addiction and Kimberly had spent time in foster care before being returned to her parents despite reported signs of abuse.

Family members told authorities Kimberly was staying with relatives in Mexico, a claim that investigators later say delayed the inquiry. Omar Lopez eventually confessed that Kimberly suffered a fatal head injury at the family home in June 2015. He said the parents buried her in a shallow grave in Tijuana and attempted to destroy the remains with bleach; her body has not been recovered. Both parents were charged in 2018; Mayra Chavez-Lopez was convicted of murder, child abuse, and torture and received a lengthy sentence, while Omar Lopez testified against her and was sentenced to 14 years.

Did anyone in Oxnard or Tijuana have contact with Kimberly or her parents in mid-2015 who hasn’t yet spoken to investigators?