PROVO, Utah -- On Thursday friends, family and complete strangers came together in Provo to search for 26-year-old Elizabeth Elena Laguna Salgado. She has been missing since Thursday, April 16th.
"This is really really hard for me because I live very close to here I never thought it was going to happen here. Never," said Rudemberdh Salgado, Elizabeth's Uncle.
Volunteers scour the banks and crouch under bridges along the Provo River, hoping to find any signs of Salgado.
"I really don't want to find the worst, but we can't really dismiss it as a possibility so we have to look for her everywhere," said Alex Villalobos a volunteer who has never met Salgado, but wanted to help.
According to her uncle, Salgado moved to Provo a month ago, after her mission. He says she is quiet and religious, enjoying a chance to get out an exercise. According to him, she studied industrial engineering in Mexico and was in Utah studying english so she could apply her technical skills in the United States.
Salgado was last seen at the Nomen Global School. Her uncle assumes she was heading to the Branbury Apartments where she lived.
"Saturday we're asking for the public's help, come out at 9:00 AM, we're going to meet at the Covey Center," said Sr. Officer Kreston Basom with the Provo Police Department. Joining the effort to raise awareness on Friday, Elizabeth and Ed Smart are holding a joint press conference with the family and police.
Meanwhile, a terrified family is waiting, hoping and praying.
"While my niece is in this situation, right now, it's hard for me and my family," said her uncle.
Salgado was last seen wearing a denim jacket, blue jeans and black or brown hiking boots. She's descried as 5-foot 4-inches, weighing between 120 and 130 pounds with long black hair and brown eyes.
If you have any information that could help find Salgado, call Provo Police at 801-852-6210.
