The family of a lady who has been missing for more than a week has revealed some disturbing details about her disappearance.
Madeline Pantoja, 21, was last seen on May 10 after being dropped off at her residence in Midland, Texas by a friend.
Her family, who have begun a desperate hunt for her, claim she was heard yelling at her ex-boyfriend in the middle of the night before she vanished.
Her absence was characterized as “very irregular,” with her phone, keys, and pet dog leaving inside the apartment while her car remained parked outside.
“Thursday at 1.30am her neighbours heard her arguing with her ex-boyfriend and after that we have not known anything about her,” Madeline’s father, Roberta Pantoj told KVUE via a translator.
He added: “She’s been a very independent young lady, she gets her stuff paid she’s very responsible.”
Madeline’s brother, Christian, said his sister would have never left her dog behind without making plans first.
Madeline was last seen at 11 p.m. on the evening of her disappearance, and a friend raised the alarm the next day after she couldn’t reach her.
Madeline’s brother went to her apartment to check on her, but the door was locked and there was no answer.
They alerted Midland Police, who finally broke into the apartment and found Madeline’s phone, vehicle keys, and dog.
They also discovered her apartment keys inside.
Madeline’s friend, Karen Ramos, told KMID: “We finally got into her apartment and her keys were in there, but the door was locked, and he (the ex-boyfriend) was the only one who had a key.”
“People from those apartments have spoken more about things, they heard arguments, not just on her floor…but outside,” Madeline’s cousin, Myriam Benavides added.
Madeline’s car was still in the parking lot of the apartment complex, leaving her brother to speculate someone “had to have driven”.
He said: “She wouldn’t have made it far walking.”
He claims it took police around three or four days to contact Madeline’s parents after they discovered she was missing.
“I would understand not calling or not giving information out to the public to keep everything secure. However, they never contacted the parents for around three days of her missing until people got upset and they started realiding ‘We need to contact the parents,'” he added.
A week on from her disappearance, Christian says police still have “no leads” and the family is growing increasingly desperate.
“They’ve said that they’re trying and I am sure that they are trying. However, there’s no leads or nothing,” he said.Midland Police said the investigation is “very active” but that they could not give any updates at this time.
In a plea to the public for information, the police department said there was “no clothing description” for what Madeline was last wearing and they also had “no certain vehicle information”.
Christian has now set up a GoFundMe campaign to generate funds so that the family may provide a monetary prize to anyone who can help them find Madeline.
The 21-year-old stands 5’4″ tall and weighs 130 pounds.
She has long dark hair and two butterfly tattoos behind her right shoulder, as well as a snake tattoo on her right arm.
Anyone with information should call the Midland Police Department.
