Zuriah Castillo and Jaylynn Miller are two missing teenage girls who were the subject of an Amber Alert after last being seen in Santo Domingo, New Mexico.
However, the man initially named in the Amber Alert has spoken out to the news media to clear his name. He says he had nothing to do with their disappearance. His name is 37-year-old Andres Pinto.
Castillo is 14-years-old and Miller is 16. The Amber Alert was issued by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Here’s what you need to know:
Authorities Say the Girls Are Now Being Considered ‘Missing Endangered’ Juveniles
FacebookCastillo
The Amber Alert was later updated “to a Missing Endangered Juvenile Advisory-Bureau of Indian Affairs,” the press release from BIA says.
It reads,
The Bureau of Indian Affairs is asking for the public’s assistance in locating Zuriah Castillo and Jaylynn Miller. The two girls were picked up on March 27, 2021 at 7:08. p.m., in the Santo Domingo Pueblo, NM area and driven to the Courtyard by Marriott located at 5151 Journal Center Boulevard in Albuquerque, NM. The two girls were last seen at the Courtyard by Marriott on March 27, 2021. Zuriah Castillo is described as a fourteen-year-old female who is five foot five inches tall, weighing one hundred thirty pounds with shoulder length, bleach blonde dark brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a white V-neck t-shirt, and black jeans. Jaylynn Miller is described as a sixteen-year-old female who is five foot tall, weighing one hundred twelve pounds with shoulder length, brown hair dyed red and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a white V-neck t-shirt, black jean, and van shoes. Their whereabouts and destination is unknown. Zuriah Castillo and Jaylynn Miller are missing and believed to be in danger if not located.
Authorities added, “Anyone with any information regarding this New Mexico Missing Endangered Juvenile Advisory is asked to contact the Bureau of Indian Affairs by calling 1-833-560-2065, by emailing ojs_coldcase@bia.gov or by texting keyword BIACCU and your tips to 847411. For media inquiries, please reach out to the BIA at newsmedia@bia.com.”
Pinto Says He Didn’t Abduct the Girls Even Though His Name Was Broadcast Throughout the State
URGENT! INDIGENOUS YOUTH ABDUCTED. HELP LOCATE Zuriah Castillo & Jaylynn Miller of KEWA PUEBLO. The two were believed to have been abducted by Andres Pinto at a gas station in Santo Domingo Pueblo, NM on 3/27.” If you have info call (505) 346-2868 or dial 911. #NotOneMore
Initially, authorities claimed the girls were abducted at a gas station and named Pinto as a suspect.
Pinto, whose name was broadcast all over the state in the Amber Alert (see an example above), spoke to KOB.com to explain that he didn’t take Castillo and Miller. He said he called police when he heard that his name was being broadcast as a possible suspect.
“I didn’t do any of that. I didn’t kidnap nobody. I didn’t take no little kids,” he said to the television station.
He told KOB.com that he and the girls’ aunt dropped them off at at an Albuquerque hotel, and he hadn’t seen them since.
“I’m right here. I have nothing to hide. Guilty people don’t talk to police. Guilty people don’t call the police. Guilty people don’t do interviews,” Pinto, who was recently released from prison, said, adding that he was upset police didn’t try to reach out to him before broadcasting his name statewide.
On Facebook, Castillo wrote that she liked studying, traveling and volleyball. The only visible posts on her page are selfies.
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