Friday marked two years since anyone has seen or heard from grandmother Noemi Gonzalez. And now her family and the North Miami Police Department hope an increased reward will bring about some information regarding her disappearance.
"Our family, we are just stuck right now," Liz Gonzalez, Noemi's sister-in-law, told Dateline. "It's just been two horrible years for our family because she is such a big part of us."
Noemi was a pillar of the community, working as a crossing guard, a sunday school teacher and even for some time as a receptionist for the North Miami Police Department. Because of various donations, officials have been able to up the reward for information from $10,000 to $20,000, which went into effect on February 5, 2016.
"Our family was able to raise and give an additional $5,000 and the North Miami Police Department was generous enough to donate another $5,000. That's now $20,000 that may help entice someone to come forward about what happened that night," Liz told Dateline.
The last time anyone saw Noemi was the early morning hours of February 12, 2014.
Her adult son Pedrito, who was staying with his mother at the time, says Noemi went to bed between 10:00 and 10:30 p.m., and was asleep when he went to the bathroom around 2:00 a.m. But he awoke the next morning to no signs of her.
Her morning routine, which family members say she strictly followed, was not started. The coffee hadn't been made, Noemi's bed was left unmade, the front door was unlocked and her purse and cellphone were inside.
The Gonzalez family quickly launched into action to find Noemi, who is the youngest of 12 siblings. North Miami police searched the neighborhood with bloodhounds and cadaver dogs. A helicopter scanned overhead and divers combed nearby canals. Thousands of fliers have been printed and her photo is plastered inside the panel space of local buses.
Everyone in North Miami seems to be aware Noemi is gone, yet no one, it seems, knows what happened to her.
Authorities are still actively investigating, but officials say few clues have been found in relation to the case.
"The investigation team at the station is just waiting for that information to get us going in the right direction, as opposed to hitting a wall," Sgt. Diana Roman of the North Miami Police Department told NBC affiliate WSVN.
"For them, this isn't just professional. It is as they are investigating, but they all know Noemi," Liz told Dateline. "The primary detective told me when he was around her home, he'd stop in just to have a cup of coffee with her. That's just who she was, friends with all."
Although what happened to Noemi between 2:00 and 8:00 a.m. that February morning is unclear, the love her family has for her certainly is. "We will do anything to find her," Liz told Dateline through tears. "We miss her dearly."
Noemi Gonzalez is described as as 5'1" tall, weighing 160 lbs. with salt and pepper, short hair and brown eyes.
If you have any information regarding her disappearance, please contact the Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at (305) 471-TIPS. You can also visit crimestoppersmiami.com and select "Give a Tip."
The family also runs the Facebook page "Noemi Gonzalez Missing Person" where you can find updated information regarding her story.
