Whittier woman kidnapped from park; family desperate for safe return

A family in the Los Angeles County city of Whittier is desperately hoping for the return of Andrea Vasquez, a 19-year-old who was kidnapped during a shooting early Sunday morning, police said.

Vasquez was last seen just after midnight in the parking lot of Penn Park.

She was in a car with her boyfriend when an armed suspect approached and began firing shots in their direction. 

"The male witness ran from the location and upon his return, discovered blood near his vehicle and his female companion was missing," the statement said. 

Vasquez is described as a Hispanic female who stands around 5-feet, 3-inches tall and weighs around 103 pounds. She has brownish-red hair and brown eyes, and was last seen wearing a black, long-sleeve crop top, khaki pants and black, low-top Converse shoes. 

Police also noted that she has a tattoo on the back of her neck that says "Edlyn" and a tattoo of the Aries constellation on her right hand. She also has a belly button piercing. 

Vasquez's family is desperate for her safe return.

"It's a pain nobody deserves," said her mother, Anna. "She was my everything."

"It's hard to get rest, it just feels guilty to even sleep," said Vasquez's older sister, Edlyn. "She's a homebody. She was my best friend."

She says she tracked Andrea's phone to Moreno Valley, southeast of L.A.

"When I got to that spot, that night, police were called. They had drones, they had canines, they had a lot of people searching that area," she said. "But, we don't really know much more."

Investigators were reported to be working on multiple leads, but there was no description of a suspect available.

KCAL-News Staff

The KCAL News Staff is a group of experienced journalists who bring you the content on KCALNews.com and CBSLA.com.

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