While September marks the start of autumn and the return to school, it also holds a grim significance for a Cumberland County community and a family haunted by mystery.

It was Sept. 16, 2019, when 5-year-old Dulce Maria Alavez was reported missing from Bridgeton City Park during a family outing.

She had recently started kindergarten and was excited to play at the park after first stopping for frozen treats at a store along the way, her family said.

Her mother, Noema Alavez Perez, said she parked the car and allowed Dulce and her 3-year-old brother, Manuel, to run to the playground while she remained behind with her younger sister in the vehicle.

MORE: Where is Dulce Alavez? Family frozen in time years into one of N.J.’s biggest mysteries

When Alavez Perez walked over to the playg

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