Alerta Ashanti activated for missing woman in Yauco
Sullymary Vélez Cintrón, 36, was last seen on Oct. 18 when she got out of a vehicle at an intersection in Yauco and has not been heard from since; police say she needs immediate medical attention.
PhotoThe short version
- El Vocero reported that Police Superintendent Joseph González ordered the Alerta Ashanti for Sullymary Vélez Cintrón who disappeared on Sunday Oct 18
- Her mother Isabel Cintrón Madera reported her missing on Tuesday Oct 20 according to El Nuevo Día and Metro Puerto Rico
- She was last seen at the intersection of Matienzo Cintrón and José Celso Barbosa streets in Yauco and requires urgent medical care for a mental health condition
- Vélez Cintrón is described as 4 feet 8 inches tall weighing 150 pounds with black hair brown eyes and was wearing a cream blouse gray leggings red sandals and carrying a black backpack
Search underway
The Puerto Rico Police Department activated an Alerta Ashanti on Tuesday, Oct. 20, to locate Sullymary Vélez Cintrón, a 36-year-old woman who disappeared in Yauco. El Vocero reported that she was last seen on Sunday, Oct. 18, when she got out of the vehicle she was traveling in at the intersection of Matienzo Cintrón and José Celso Barbosa streets. Her mother, Isabel Cintrón Madera, filed the missing-person report on Tuesday.
According to multiple outlets including Telemundo Puerto Rico and El Nuevo Día, Vélez Cintrón has a mental-health condition that requires immediate medical attention. Agents from the Criminal Investigation Corps (CIC) in Ponce are leading the search. Police described her as light-brown skinned with black hair and brown eyes, standing 4 feet 8 inches tall and weighing about 150 pounds. She was last seen wearing a cream-colored blouse, gray spandex pants, red sandals and carrying a black backpack.
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How to help
Metro Puerto Rico reported that anyone with information is asked to call the confidential police line at 787-343-2020 or dial 9-1-1. Primera Hora noted that the Alerta Ashanti complements but does not replace the ongoing police investigation.
The Alerta Ashanti is used for adults over 18 whose physical safety may be at risk, who have confirmed physical or mental disabilities, or whose disappearance may have been involuntary, according to the explanation provided by police in the reports from El Vocero and El Nuevo Día.
Where the sources differ
All five sources agree on the woman's name, age, date of disappearance (Oct. 18), last-seen location in Yauco, physical description, clothing, the fact that her mother reported her missing on Oct. 20, and the need for immediate medical attention due to a mental-health condition. El Vocero, Metro and Primera Hora name Superintendent/Commissioner Joseph González as the official who activated the alert; El Nuevo Día and Telemundo do not. Sources vary slightly on the exact street name (some say "Matienzo Cintrón," others add the full intersection) and whether the condition is explicitly called "mental" (most do) or left unspecified (El Nuevo Día). All describe the Alerta Ashanti in similar terms as a public-assistance tool that supplements the CIC Ponce investigation.
What the reports do not say
The reports do not state when or where the mother last had contact with her daughter, whether the woman left any belongings behind, if she has a history of wandering or previous disappearances, what specific medical treatment she requires, or whether police have identified any persons of interest or reviewed surveillance video from the area. No information is given about the driver's identity or what happened immediately after she exited the vehicle.
Sources
Every link below was opened and checked when this story was published. Official means a government body, agency or the organization itself; Reporting means a news outlet.
- Official Activan Alerta Ashanti por mujer desaparecida en Yauco que necesita atención médica urgente
- Reporting Activan Alerta Ashanti por mujer desaparecida en Yauco que necesita atención médica urgente
- Reporting Buscan a mujer de 36 años desaparecida en Yauco
- Reporting Activan Alerta Ashanti para dar con paradero de mujer desaparecida en Yauco
- Reporting Activan Alerta Ashanti para localizar a mujer desaparecida en Yauco
- Reporting Activan Alerta Ashanti por mujer desaparecida en Yauco
How we checked this
El Vocero, Telemundo Puerto Rico, El Nuevo Día, Metro Puerto Rico and Primera Hora all published substantially similar accounts based on the same police information. Details about the superintendent ordering the alert and the precise medical condition rest on the accounts of El Vocero, Metro and Primera Hora.
Compiled by the PuertoRico.com News Desk from the reports and statements listed above, and checked against them before publishing. It does not include original interviews. Spot an error? Email support@puertorico.com with a link to this story.