California girl Karen Rojas, 11, found safe in North Carolina after alias
Karen Rojas, who was 5 when she was last seen in Duarte, was located this week in Washington County, North Carolina, and is now in protective custody. The discovery ended a years-long search that began when she disappeared from Duarte on June 2, 2020, and followed a tip about a student enrolled under another name in local schools.
Karen Rojas living under an alias in Washington County schools
Deputies in Washington County determined the child had been enrolled in Washington County Schools under an alias name and took action after the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services provided information. Washington County deputies located Rojas and placed her into protective custody, and officials confirmed she is safe.
Sheriff Arlo Norman described the outcome as rare for a case of that age, noting the recovery was the result of coordination between agencies in North Carolina and California. The child’s identity is being withheld because of her age and ongoing investigations, and officials have not released additional personal details.
California disappearance on June 2, 2020, and Los Angeles investigations
Rojas was last seen in Duarte, California, on June 2, 2020, when she was 5 years old. The Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services received a missing persons report the month after she was last seen, and child welfare officials opened an investigation in Los Angeles in 2020.
Investigators believe the mother had custody of Rojas at the time and that the mother stopped communicating with authorities in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office and the Department of Children and Family Services later received information indicating Rojas may be living in Washington County, which prompted the cross-state inquiry that located her.
Washington County Sheriff’s Office and cross-state coordination
Law enforcement in Washington County worked with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office and child welfare officials to verify records and speak with school faculty before confirming the child was living under a false name. Deputies said their work included reviewing records and coordinating with multiple agencies in North Carolina and California before making contact that led to protective custody.
Authorities have said the child is now in protective custody and that the case remains under investigation. A representative from the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services is expected to travel to North Carolina as the next confirmed development in the case, and officials have not released whether any charges have been filed.
For now, the recovery of Karen Rojas closes the immediate search that began on June 2, 2020, in Duarte, and moves the matter into the investigative and child-welfare steps that both Washington County and Los Angeles agencies have outlined. The next confirmed milestone is the expected travel of the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services representative to North Carolina as the case continues.
