Hania Aguilar, 13, was forced into a green 2002-2003 Ford Expedition near her Lumberton home as she was preparing to go to school about 7 a.m. Monday, officials said.
The stolen SUV used to abduct a North Carolina teenager was found on Thursday as investigators continue to search for the missing girl.
Hania Aguilar, 13, was forced into a green 2002-2003 Ford Expedition near her Lumberton home as she was preparing to go to school about 7 a.m. Monday, officials said. A witness saw a man dressed in all black and wearing a yellow bandana force the teen into the SUV, which was later determined to have been stolen.
There is no reason to believe Hania knew her abductor, according to the FBI, which is involved in the investigation. The SUV was discovered just before 8 a.m. off Quincy Road, less than 9 miles from where Hania was abducted. The FBI is processing the vehicle.
“I just want my daughter back with me,” Hania’s mother and daughter said in a message read by an FBI agent Tuesday. “I’m here waiting for you, I love you and only care about you. I don’t have anything against whoever did this to you. I just want you back.”
Hania is described as a happy girl who loves to cook and laugh. She hopes to one day become a Marine to help people, her mother said.
“I miss her,” her mother said through a translator as she fought back tears at a prayer vigil Wednesday. “I love her.”
Hania’s abduction came one day after about 60 people gathered to honor their loved ones who were killed, found dead or went missing from Lumberton and Pembroke, neighboring communities within Robeson County.
“We are in this fight together as a whole county,” Shelia Price told InsideEdition.com.
Price’s daughter, Rhonda Jones, was one of three women who were found dead within a four-block radius between April 18 and June 3, 2017. The bodies of Jones, 36, and Kristin “Christina” Bennett, 32, were found dead 50 yards apart from each other on the same day, while Megan Oxendine, 28, was found about two city blocks away. Her death came several weeks after she had spoken on the news about Jones’ death. The circumstances behind their deaths remain unknown.
“It takes a group like us to get out in the town, so people start asking questions,” Price said, who noted they plan to march again in the Pembroke Christmas parade. “It’s been a long 18 months.”
Price said she and the others who marched carried signs displaying the names of those killed, found dead and missing. The lists seemed to go on and on without end, she said.
“All these unsolved crimes, I don’t understand it,” Price said.
On her mind is also Hania, whose abduction reminded Price of the at times dire conditions those living in Lumberton face.
“This is a child who was abducted in broad daylight,” she said. “I’m praying she'll be found safe.”
Hania is about 5 feet tall and weighs about 126 pounds. She has black hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a blue shirt with flowers and blue jeans.
Investigators have called on anyone with surveillance cameras in the area the vehicle was discovered to call (910) 272-5871. The FBI is offering a $15,000 reward for information that leads to Hania’s whereabouts.
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