In a statement to The Sun, the 22-year-old’s mom, Norma Nunez, said her daughter was heading home from a party in the early hours of that Sunday morning. At 3:59 a.m. she stopped for a snack at a gas station and called her sister — we know because we have both the record of the call and she was seen on video thanks to the gas station’s CCTV cameras.
Unfortunately, that was the last time she was seen or heard from. Her sister was sleeping and missed that first call; Jolissa tried again at 5:24 a.m. and 5:25 a.m. to no avail. It’s unclear why she felt the need to call so late, if it was just to talk or if she felt she was in danger. But after that last call her phone went silent.
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This situation sounds eerily similar to Kiely Rodni’s case. The teen texted her mother just after midnight on August 6 while heading home from a party and also vanished into the night…
There’s almost no way the cases are connected though. California is a big state — this all happened about 300 miles from where Kiely went missing.
The Selma Police Department reports they believe Jolissa traveled through Sanger after leaving the store and may have traveled toward Pine Flat and Avocado Lake. The search is now concentrated in the area, but even more strangely the woman has no digital footprint. Police Chief Rudy Alcaraz states in a press release:
“To this point, it’s very rare that a 22-year-old girl has no digital footprint, i.e. cell phones, social media, bank cards, things of that nature.”
He also reiterates the family’s statements — this isn’t “normal behavior” for the young woman:
“Additionally from the onset of this, the Fuentes family was adamant that this is not normal behavior for Jolissa.”
Due to her actions not being normal, the police have decided to treat this case as being of a “criminal nature” — but they’ve been halted in their search. Officer Alcaraz says the area is “enormous” and they’re still being “hindered” at times by COVID-19, but the team is doing “all they can”. In the weeks since her disappearance, their efforts have filled 288 HOURS! But they’ve still got a long way to go. They’re trying to cover 1,740 miles worth of land!
Nunez isn’t giving up, though. As police continue to search the area, she’s made a GoFundMe on behalf of her family to aid in the search. The description asks for prayers in helping find her daughter:
“First off thank you Jesus for your loving grace, this is my daughter Jolissa Fuentes who went missing since Sunday August 7, 2022. We are lost without her, we are asking for the public’s help to fund the efforts in the search for my Jolissa. Anything that God puts in your heart is appreciated. Please help bring my baby girl home back to us.”
There have been rumors this case will be Adventures With Purpose‘s next stop. The a YouTube group famous for investigating cold cases were the ones to finally recover Rodni’s body after two weeks. These rumors have not been confirmed, though.
So sad. Our hearts go out to Jolissa’s loved ones, we hope she’s found safe very soon. If you would like to donate to the family, you can find the link HERE.
[Image via Facebook/Selma Police Department/YouTube/ABC30 Action News]
