MIDVALE, Utah (ABC4) — The family of Aaliyah Rose Cabrera-Utai — the 13-year-old girl who has been missing out of Midvale since Friday — is speaking out and has a message for Aaliyah.
“I want her personally to know that she is loved and that we are wanting to welcome her home,” Brigetta Uta’i, Aaliyah’s aunt, told ABC4.com.
Aaliyah is described as being 5’3″ tall and weighing 105 pounds. She has brown hair and brown eyes, and was last seen around 1 p.m. on Friday, April 19, wearing a baggy white shirt, tan pants and black Converse. She had a brown shoulder bag and has been known to take TRAX.
Brigetta said the last time the family was in contact with Aaliyah was around 9:30 a.m. on Friday, when she was dropped off at Mt. Jordan Middle School in Sandy.
Less than 30 minutes later, Brigetta said security cameras at the school captured Aaliyah leaving the campus and crossing the street.
“For her to just fall off the face of the earth is just not normal,” Brigetta said.
Brigetta said none of the neighbors’ cameras picked up Aaliyah, but she was last seen right before 1 p.m., walking past her grandma’s house. Brigetta said there is no evidence of Aaliyah entering the home.
“There’s so many dead-ends and so many unknowns,” Brigetta said. “It’s just not fair to be so unaware of what’s going on with her right now.”
Brigetta said the family learned through Aaliyah’s friends that another person may have been involved, but Brigetta pointed out that that has not yet been confirmed. Brigetta also said Aaliyah tends to be a homebody, but gets along with a lot of people.
The family doesn’t know if a second person was involved by vehicle, and said Aaliyah’s mother has reached out to the Utah Transit Authority to see if Aaliyah had been seen on any of their cameras.
Brigetta said Aaliyah was in “very high, good spirits” a couple days ago and even wished Brigetta a happy birthday. For Aaliyah to be off-the-grid for so long is “unusual,” Brigetta said.
“First and foremost, the only priority we really care about is that she’s safe,” Brigetta said. “That she knows she’s welcome to come home.”
Aaliyah is described as being bubbly and family-oriented, and Brigetta said that her family just wants to know that she is safe and they want her home.
“We just truly just wanna know that she’s OK,” Brigetta said.
Anyone with information regarding Aaliyah’s whereabouts has been asked to contact Unified Police Department at 801-840-4000.