UPDATE: An El Paso family is urgently seeking help in the search for their 24-year-old daughter, Sydney Marquez, who vanished while visiting friends in Houston earlier this month. She was last seen on December 11, 2023, in the vicinity of the 9100 block of Bellaire Boulevard.
Investigators report that Sydney was spotted leaving a friend’s car, which was left running on the street. Raul Marquez, her father, is pleading for assistance after confirming that surveillance video from a METRO bus she may have boarded has been retrieved. This footage is critical to piecing together her last known movements.
Witnesses indicate that Sydney may have boarded a northbound METRO bus at the intersection of Gessner and Harwin, on route 46 towards the Little York area. “The car was running. We have video of her going northbound on Ranchester,” Raul stated. “That footage is a matter of life and death.”
“Time’s not on our side,” said Tim Miller, founder of Texas EquuSearch. “She’s a young girl who was walking late at night, not knowing the area. We just want to get her home safe.”
The METRO Police Department has confirmed that they are cooperating with the Houston Police Department (HPD) in the ongoing investigation. Initially, a remote download of the requested bus footage was unavailable, but investigators successfully retrieved the video manually and have handed it over to HPD, which is leading the case.
Sydney, who lives and works in El Paso, was reportedly experiencing a mental health episode at the time of her disappearance. Raul Marquez revealed, “She was diagnosed with late-onset bipolar disorder with a bit of schizophrenia. Over the last two or three months, we saw some changes—some behavior.”
According to the Houston Police Department, Sydney is described as:
- 5 feet 4 inches tall
- Approximately 120 pounds
- Short reddish-brown hair
- Brown eyes
- Wearing glasses
- Has a four-leaf clover tattoo on her left wrist
In a heartfelt message to his daughter, Raul stated, “Sydney, you need to come home now. We miss you. We love you. Christmas is around the corner.” A witness suggested that Sydney boarded the bus with two men who allegedly stopped her from using a phone offered at the bus stop, raising concerns about her safety.
Anyone with information regarding Sydney Marquez’s whereabouts is encouraged to contact the Houston Police Department at (832) 394-1840 or Texas EquuSearch at (281) 309-9500. The family continues to hope for her safe return as the search intensifies.
