Nearly one week after a teenager vanished on her way to a holiday party in the northern suburbs, her loved ones are unrelenting in their search for answers.
Friends and family of 17-year-old Brissa Romero held a vigil on Sunday afternoon outside Bowlero in Vernon Hills, where the teenager was expected to attend a gathering on Monday night.
But she never showed up.
"From what we know that she was driving alone up here, north, but we're trying to figure out if, by any chance, something happened where somebody was able to contact her during the drive," her sister, Dulce Romero said.
Brissa's mother fought back tears as she pleaded for the community's help to find her daughter.
"My daughter, she was a hard worker," said Blanca Aguilera, Brissa Romero's mother. "...She was talking [to] me about what she wants to do in college."
Following the vigil, family and friends went to the area of Town Center Road and Milwaukee Avenue, where relatives said Brissa's license plate was captured on a traffic camera Monday night.
Relatives are asking everyone who lives, works or owns a business in the northwest suburbs to check their security video between 7 and 9 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 4.
"That night, maybe there's something they can actually find that in the within their private cameras that the police don't have access to," said Dulce Romero. "And please come forward. If there's any sort of information of Brissa's missing vehicle, or of herself."
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Police used drones to conduct an extensive search on Friday and surveyed the local ponds for her vehicle. It is described as a gray 2008 Nissan Rouge with Illinois license plate number CZ64618. Authorities said Brissa doesn’t have a history of mental health challenges or running away from home.
Family members are offering a $1,000 for Brissa's whereabouts.
"Somebody came and took her, I don't know what they think," said Aguilera. "I just want my daughter back."
As of Sunday night, the circumstances regarding Brissa's disappearance remained unknown.
Anyone who may have security video that could assist police in their investigation is asked to call the Carpentersville Police Department at 847-551-3481.
