Emails detail timeline after San Carlos Park girl’s disappearance

FORT MYERS, Fla. – Newly released emails provide a timeline of the investigation into the disappearance of 9-year-old Diana Alvarez with early mention of a person of interest.

Still, answers remain elusive about where the missing San Carlos Park girl could be.

Alvarez vanished from her home in the early morning hours of Sunday, May 29. Authorities suspected that she was with 28-year-old Jorge Guerrero, who was apprehended on Saturday, June 4.

Here’s what happened in the hours after Alvarez’s disappearance.

SUNDAY, MAY 29, 2016

2 A.M.: Diana was last seen on 3500 block of Unique Circle when her pregnant mother, Rita Hernandez, checked the rooms of their home in the Sheltering Pines Mobile Home Village.
3 A.M.: Guerrero may have been with Diana at this time. “Based on statements Mr. Guerrero made to law enforcement, there are admissions that place him with Diana at some period in the morning, approximately at 3 o’clock in Lee County,” Alvarez family’s lawyer Tom Busatta said in June.
3 A.M. – 7 A.M.: The whereabouts of Diana at this time are unknown, but when Hernandez woke up, she noticed all four of the burners on her stove were turned on and that Diana’s purple-striped shoes were missing.
10:40 A.M.: The Lee County Sheriff’s Office sent out its first in a slew of many public emails about Diana Alvarez. It was titled “Lee County Sheriff’s Office Press Release: Missing Juvenile Diana Alvares” and featured a school photo of Diana.

1 P.M.: Authorities discussed Jorge Guerrero as a suspect. They had his date of birth, a description of his car and his possible location, according to deputy emails.
6:44 P.M.: The sheriff’s office sends a photo of Guerrero to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

MONDAY, MAY 30, 2016

12:05 A.M.: FDLE sends a missing child alert for Diana after receiving the request from LCSO. It does not mention Guerrero.“FDLE received a request from Lee County Sheriff’s Office for a Missing Child Alert. A Missing Child Alert was issued,” said Gretl Plessinger, spokesperson for FDLE.

THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 2016

11:43 A.M.: LCSO requests that FDLE issue an AMBER Alert for Diana. The agency in charge of any missing child case must request the alert from FDLE. The requirements for an AMBER Alert include:

• A request from the local law enforcement agency
• Child under 18
• Clear indication of abduction
• Detailed description of child, abductor or vehicle

12:30 P.M.:: FDLE issues an AMBER Alert for Diana. This time it includes a photo of Guerrero and lists his connections to Orange and Okeechobee counties.

The Alvarez family’s lawyer contended in June that FDLE rejected LCSO’s requests for an AMBER Alert twice before the notification was sent throughout the state.

LCSO declined to comment, saying they will not answer any questions about what they knew and when while the investigation is still open.