Loved ones of a missing Utah girl are speaking out in the hopes of delivering a message to her, ABC4 reports.
On Friday, April 19, Aaliyah Rose Cabrera-Uta’i was dropped off at Mt. Jordan Middle School in Sandy and walked out of the building about 30 minutes later. School security cameras recorded the 13-year-old leaving the school and running across the street.
She was later seen around 1 p.m. walking past her grandmother’s home in Midvale, south of Salt Lake City, but there is no indication that she went inside the residence.
Family members have since learned from the girl’s friends that someone else may be involved in the situation, although that has not been officially confirmed.
Her relatives are now doing whatever they can to try to communicate with her.
“I want her personally to know that she is loved and that we are wanting to welcome her home,” Aaliyah’s aunt, Brigetta Uta’i, told ABC4.
She added: “For her to just fall off the face of the earth is just not normal.”
Aaliyah, who lives in Midvale, is described as 5 feet, 3 inches tall and about 105 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. At the time she vanished, she was wearing a white shirt, tan pants, and black shoes. She also has a brown shoulder bag.
Authorities say Aaliyah has been known to travel on TRAX, a light rail system in Utah, according to KSL-TV. Her mother has asked the transit provider to check whether her daughter was spotted on any of the system’s cameras.
Brigetta said it is unlike her niece to be out of contact for so long and that she seemed to be in good spirits earlier this week. The family had planned to travel for a vacation on Saturday, according to Fox13.
The concerned aunt reiterated that she just wants to make sure Aaliyah is OK.
“First and foremost, the only priority we really care about is that she’s safe,” Brigetta told ABC4. “That she knows she’s welcome to come home.”
To report information about Aaliyah or her whereabouts, call the Unified Police Department at 801-840-4000.
[Feature Photo: Aaliyah Rose Cabrera-Uta’i/Unified Police]