Family seeks answers about Dallas teen missing since April 1
The Dallas Police Department is investigating the disappearance of a 13-year-old girl who has been missing since April 1.
Mirlen Pineda, a student at Thomas C. Marsh Prep Academy, has not been seen since last Tuesday when her mother, Floridalma Damian, dropped her off at school.
Damian told CBS News Texas that after she dropped her daughter off at school, she later received a message from the school saying her daughter never showed up for class and they couldn't find her.
Damian called police to report her daughter missing, but said she was told an Amber Alert couldn't be issued because the case didn't meet the criteria. Damian said she didn't feel like the police were taking her concerns seriously.
"It's horrible, it's horrible not knowing anything about her whereabouts," Damian told CBS News Texas in Spanish. "At least if someone could tell me 'hey, your daughter is OK,' but I know nothing… and every time…the days are passing."
LULAC community member Hilda Ramirez Duarte is helping find Pineda. She said police didn't start moving on this case until local media started asking about it.
"We all know that the first 48 hours are crucial, and what did they do in the first 48? And if they did something, they still have a fiduciary responsibility to report to the mom. What's going on, we heard your case, we're on it," Ramirez Duarte said. "It took them another four phone calls before they actually took a report."
Tuesday morning, eight days after Pineda disappeared, the family had their first meeting with police. On Tuesday, CBS News Texas spotted police searching the area of Crown Park, an area where Damian said her daughter may have been.
A police officer told CBS News Texas they were at the park looking for clues that may lead to Pineda's whereabouts, but the family said it shouldn't have taken over a week to get police to search for Pineda.
CBS News Texas contacted police about the case, and Corbin Rubinson, a spokesperson with the department, confirmed that there is now an active missing child investigation happening.
When asked why a response from police took so long, Rubinson sent this statement: "The Dallas Police Department received a 911 call on April 1, 2025, at about 1:20 p.m., where the reporting person said their child had left their school. This was recorded as an 'Other' call for service, which is not classified as an emergency or urgent call, such as a violent crime or person in danger. At about 7:25 p.m., another 911 call was made where the reporting person said they had not seen their child since dropping them off at school in the morning. This call was transferred to an Expediter, who created a police report for the missing child investigation. The Expediter process redu
ces the wait time for a police report to be made by taking the report over the phone, instead of dispatching an officer to the location. This way the report is in our system quicker and routed to the appropriate unit for investigation."
As each day goes by, Damian is hoping for the best, praying for her daughter's safety.
"Maybe the people who have her don't have kids, because if you were a mom or dad or whoever… You don't understand the hurt of a mom, to lose a daughter and not know anything. Please return her," Damian said.
Pineda was last seen wearing a black sweater, black leggings, and a black cross. If anyone has any information on where she might be, you're urged to contact the Dallas Police Department at (214) 671-4268.
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