mouseover to enlarge, Right: Photo of Rojas's vehicle
mouseover to enlarge, Right: Photo of Rojas's vehicle
Name: Diana Raquel Rojas
Case Classification: Endangered Missing
Missing Since: October 21, 2000
Location Last Seen: Long Beach, Los Angeles County, California
Date of Birth: January 19, 1973
Age: 27 years old
Race: Filipino/Hispanic
Gender: Female
Height: 5'2"
Weight: 115 - 127 lbs
Hair Color: Brown, medium length
Eye Color: Brown
Nickname/Alias: Diana Cortez
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Acne scarring on back; a mole on her back between her shoulder blades
Dentals: Available
Fingerprints: Available
DNA: Available
Clothing: Pink shirt with spaghetti straps, blue sweatpants with “Winnie the Pooh” logo on the left leg, blue zip-up jacket with medical insignia on left side
Jewelry: Ring on her left hand
Additional Personal Items: Unknown
Rojas resided in an apartment in the 5500 block of Ackerfield Avenue in Long Beach, California in 2000. She was in the midst of divorcing her husband, who lived in the same apartment complex. She dropped their 2-year-old daughter off at his residence on October 19, 2000 for a court-ordered visitation.
Rojas was employed at His Nesting Place, a church and shelter for abused women when she disappeared, ran by Pastor Al Howard and his wife, Judy Howard.
She returned to her own apartment with her boyfriend, the Howard's son, after dropping her daughter off. Her boyfriend departed between 12:15 a.m. - 12:30 a.m. on October 20. He told authorities that she was asleep on her sofa at the time he left her home.
Rojas failed to report to work on the morning of October 20. Her boyfriend attempted to call her at approximately 9:00 a.m., but she was not at home. When Rojas didn't turn up at an appointment or to pick up her daughter, family and friends became worried.
Judy Howard described Rojas as a kind, gentle woman who feared her estranged husband. "She had once told us that he had broken her arm, and that she had a restraining order against him," Judy said, adding that many staff members heard him "yelling and threatening to hurt her" over the phone when the two occasionally spoke.
Her 1992 black Nissan extended cab pickup truck with white pinstripes was also missing from the complex's parking lot. The car had Texas license plates BY3242 and the driver's side door lock and the radio were missing from the vehicle. The truck was registered to her estranged husband. There has been no updated vehicle information nor sightings of the vehicle since her disappearance. The vehicle has had no contact with law enforcement, i.e. no traffic stops, no traffic tickets, no parking tickets, etc. since Rojas has disappeared.
Detectives examined suspicious conditions in her apartment at the time, but the investigation did not yield any leads. Police do not believe Rojas left on her own free will and family members suspect that foul play was involved in her disappearance. Family members said it is uncharacteristic of her to leave her child without warning. Rojas' divorce attorney said that she was hoping to gain custody of her daughter in 2000.
There have not been any arrests in connection with her case and police have not identified a person of interest. Her estranged husband has been cooperative with authorities and her boyfriend at the time is not considered a suspect.
Investigators have received several phone calls suggesting Rojas has been killed. In 2014, the Howards say police came to their church after an anonymous call claimed Rojas was buried there. In 2016, another anonymous tip said Rojas was dead and her remains could be found in a desert area in Ridgecrest, about 100 miles east of Bakersfield. On November 17, 2016, an excavation was conducted; four areas of interest near West Boston Avenue and South Guam Street were explored and ruled out. No human remains were found. Technology and tools available today allowed detectives to move this case forward. Further investigation led to Ridgecrest, California, where detectives believed Diana’s remains may be buried. Utilizing satellite images of Ridgecrest, NecroSearch* pinpointed areas where there were inconsistencies to the topography.
Detectives searched for her remains in multiple locations based on the numerous anonymous tips with no success.
Agency Name: Long Beach Police Department
Agency Contact Person: Missing Persons Detail
Agency Phone Number: 562-435-6711
Agency E-Mail: LBPDMissingPersons@longbeach.gov
Agency Case Number: 00080577
NamUs Case Number: 26757
NCIC Case Number: M03122667
NamUs
Long Beach Police Department
North American Missing Persons Network
KTLA
NBC Los Angeles
Press-Telegram
Los Angeles Times
CA DOJ
Added: 1/26/2012; Last Updated: 11-02-2022 - By: hwa
Questions or comments? Please contact appropriate member of the Area Team
** Listed information is from the time of disappearance.
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