UPDATE: An El Paso family is in urgent search of their daughter, 24-year-old Sydney Marquez, who vanished while visiting friends in Houston earlier this month. Investigators have confirmed they have retrieved critical surveillance video that may shed light on her disappearance.
Sydney was last seen on December 11, near the 9100 block of Bellaire Boulevard. Witnesses told her father that she may have boarded a northbound METRO bus at the intersection of Gessner and Harwin. This bus was on route 46, heading towards the Little York area.
Her father, Raul Marquez, is pleading for answers regarding his daughter’s whereabouts. “The car was running. We have video of her going northbound on Ranchester. That’s the last solid evidence we have,” he stated. “I have the exact time when she boarded that bus. That footage is a matter of life and death.”
In a significant development, the METRO Police Department (MPD) has confirmed that the video has been successfully retrieved and turned over to the Houston Police Department (HPD), which is leading the investigation. MPD officials expressed hope for Sydney’s safe return and stated their commitment to assist HPD in this urgent case.
As the search intensifies, concerns about Sydney’s mental health have emerged. Her father revealed that she was diagnosed with late-onset bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, and he believes she may have been experiencing a mental health episode at the time of her disappearance.
“Over the last two or three months, we saw some changes—some behavior,” Raul explained. Texas EquuSearch, an organization dedicated to finding missing persons, is actively assisting in the search. Founder Tim Miller emphasized the critical nature of time in this situation, stating, “Time’s not on our side. She’s a young girl who was walking late at night, not knowing the area. We just want to get her home safe.”
Sydney is described as being 5 feet 4 inches tall, weighing approximately 120 pounds, with short reddish-brown hair and brown eyes. She wears glasses and has a notable four-leaf clover tattoo on her left wrist.
In a heartfelt message to his daughter, Raul said, “Sydney, you need to come home now. We miss you. We love you. Christmas is around the corner.” Witnesses have reported that she may have boarded the bus with two men who allegedly prevented her from using a phone offered to her at the bus stop. The retrieved bus video could be crucial in identifying these individuals.
Authorities urge anyone with information about Sydney Marquez’s whereabouts to contact the Houston Police Department at (832) 394-1840 or Texas EquuSearch at (281) 309-9500. The family and community remain hopeful for her safe return as the search continues.
