It has now been 24 hours, a full day and counting since 4-year-old Oscar Velasquez went missing. The 4 year old disappeared from his home on Antelope Street Extension Monday afternoon and hasn't been seen since. Police today joined a frantic search for the boy after his family spent a restless night. Keith Swift tried to retrace Oscar's steps.
Keith Swift Reporting,
This clustered shanty neighborhood on the far end of Antelope Street Extension is where this little boy, 4 year old Oscar Velasquez, lives and it is also the last place he was seen yesterday. Today his parents made tearful pleas for his return home.
Maria Sanchez, Mother
"Whoever have him I want them to please bring him back. I really really want my son. I don't know who have him or why they took him but please bring him back for me."
Jorge Velasquez, Father
"I didn't know where my kid sleep last night. I don't know if he sleep or what he do or if anybody taking good care of him. I just want them bring him in so I could get out of this pressure right now."
Their son was last seen around 2 yesterday when his mother Maria went to work and as usual left Oscar and his 2 other siblings in the care of a neighbor.
Maria Sanchez,
"When I left from home 2 o'clock to go to work he was right out here with
his next little brother and from then 2:30 I received a call and they told me that if my son went with me at work and I said no. The boy then told me that well they will go look for him because maybe he is somewhere close by. I said okay and when I came off from work they told me they still hadn't found him and that's when I started to search all over for him but I never did find him. Somebody said they saw him go with a girl but I don't who is this young lady or who is the person he went with because he doesn't go with nobody he doesn't know."
Keith Swift,
Who was taking care of your son?
Maria Sanchez,
"A guy who lived right across the street from my house."
Keith Swift,
People will say that your is only 4, you should have taken him with you.
Maria Sanchez,
"Because when I go I don't go for long; I only go for 3 or 4 hours and I come right back."
Keith Swift,
Has this ever happened before?
Maria Sanchez,
"No. It is the first time something like this happen."
Well not according to the father Jorge Velasquez. He told us that Oscar has gone missing before.
Jorge Velasquez, Father
"The last time he was missing, I don't know for how long or from what time to what time, but they found him at the burying ground the last time. The last time social also took the kids from her because she left them locked in the house because she went to the dance."
And while Jorge was the one who called police and canvassed the neighborhood for his son last night, Juan Gutierrez was the man who was supposed to be watching the boy. We caught up with him today and he told us he wasn't home when Maria left and more importantly, it was he who first discovered that the boy was missing.
Juan Gutierrez, Neighbor
"When I came from where I went, the little boy wasn't around so I called the mother and asked if he went with her."
Keith Swift,
So when she left you weren't here? She didn't the babies in your care?
Juan Gutierrez,
"Not in my care right. I came little after she left and that's when I realized the little boy wasn't around. I took it upon myself to look for him because then she had already asked me to take care of him. So I looked for the little boy after I called her. I went all around the burying ground looking for him."
Keith Swift,
So what extent do you think you are responsible for his disappearance?
Juan Gutierrez,
"Not for his disappearance, I mean well I feel responsible in a way they are always over here with us when we are working, all the kids including mine, and that is why I feel in a way responsible but not totally; that would be on
behalf of the parents."
And while the finger pointing is expected to continue, all on Antelope Street Extension agree on one thing: they want Oscar returned home safely.
Police say they are investigating and are interviewing the family. Oscar attends Church of Christ Pre-school and school officials tell 7NEWS that he didn't go to school on Monday because his mother called in and said he was sick.
