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Missing Moreno Valley girl found dead
Norma Lopez, 17, of Moreno Valley is believed to have been abducted July 15, 2010, authorities said.
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Riverside County Sheriff's Dept.
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Authorities have confirmed that human remains found in a Moreno Valley field were those of a 17-year old girl who went missing last week.
Last Thursday, witnesses said they saw Norma Lopez walking home alone from summer school. Relatives said she often took a short cut through a vacant field to get home. Authorities reported that a neighbor discovered Lopez’s body and some of her personal belongings near that field.
Investigators believe that someone abducted her; there were signs of an apparent struggle.
“It has now changed from an abducted person to a homicide,” said Riverside County Sheriff’s department sergeant Joe Borja.
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“Nothing has changed. We wave not stopped investigating every lead since July 15 at 10 a.m. when we were first notified of the abduction.”
The city of Moreno Valley and the FBI are offering a $35,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and prosecution of Norma Lopez’s killer. Investigators are looking for the driver of green SUV seen leaving the area shortly before the teen's neighbor found her body.
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