Why Police Freed Sydney Marquez Before Parents Arrived

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The Jersey Village Police Department issued a statement later on Friday explaining their decision not to detain 24-year-old Sydney Marquez, who had been reported missing for over three weeks. The department provided details about the circumstances surrounding her discovery and the actions taken by officers.

According to JVPD, a citizen called 911 around 1 a.m. on Friday after spotting a woman walking along a road that matched Sydney's description. Officers responded to the scene and located her near Seattle Street and Senate Avenue, just off the Northwest Freeway. The officers recognized her from missing person flyers distributed by Texas EquuSearch, an organization that assists in locating missing individuals.

Jersey Village PD contacted the Houston Police Department, which is the lead agency in the missing person case, and informed the detective assigned to the case of where Sydney had been found. Sydney’s father, Raul Marquez, also reached out to JVPD, sharing that his daughter has a history of mental health issues. He mentioned he was in El Paso but planned to take the first available flight to Houston.

Medical professionals arrived at the scene and checked Sydney's vitals, finding no signs of trauma or immediate medical concern. After speaking with Sydney, officers concluded that she did not pose a danger to herself or others. They stated that the legal requirements for an emergency detention order were not met.

Raul Marquez contacted the Texas Counter-Trafficking Initiative, which sent a representative to the police department. Initially, Sydney agreed to leave with the representative, but she later changed her mind after speaking with him. The representative asked Sydney to contact her parents, and she said she would reach out to her mother via email at some point.

Sydney requested to leave and declined any assistance. JVPD confirmed that she was released before her parents arrived. "At the time of the encounter, Sydney did not appear to be in crisis. As an adult, she was removed from missing status and released," the department stated in a public release.

Police offered Sydney help, including hotel accommodations and food, but she refused. She was last seen walking along the Northwest Freeway near Senate Avenue. JVPD officers met with Sydney's parents to review body-worn camera footage. At their request, the footage will not be made public. Her parents have asked that anyone who sees Sydney should contact the police for a welfare check.

Authorities have stated there is no indication of criminal activity involved in Sydney's disappearance. Anyone with additional information is encouraged to contact JVPD at 713-466-5824.

Originally went missing in southwest Houston

According to the Houston Police Department, Sydney Marquez first went missing near the 9100 block of Bellaire Boulevard, close to Ranchester Road, on December 11. Search efforts focused on the surrounding Asiatown area, where volunteers and investigators searched businesses for surveillance video. KHOU 11 previously obtained video showing Marquez walking northbound along Ranchester Road on the night she disappeared.

Search organizers said the footage did not indicate she was in distress. “It didn’t look like she was in distress, like a normal walk, not running, not staggering,” said Tim Miller with Texas EquuSearch. “It certainly appeared to be a normal walk.”

Family pleaded for help during search

Marquez’s family spent days urging anyone with information to come forward as the search intensified across southwest Houston. “If you see my daughter, if she’s endangered. Please don’t stay quiet,” her father, Raul Marquez, said during a news conference. “If you see something, if you know something, please say something. I miss my daughter. She needs to come home.”

Mental health concerns previously shared

Family members previously mentioned that Marquez struggles with mental health challenges and was not taking her medication at the time she disappeared. Her father said she had wandered off alone before. On the night she went missing, family members said Marquez was visiting friends in Houston and left alone after several hours.

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