2 months after Pearl Pinson's kidnapping, Vallejo Vigil holds onto hope
Vallejo, Calif. (KTVU) - Two months have passed since a 15-year-old Vallejo girl was abducted. Pearl Pinson's family held an emotional vigil Monday night at the bottom of the overpass where the high-school girl was last seen, to keep hope alive.
Her family said they will never give up hope that she'll come home.
"She's 15 years old. She didn't deserve this," said Rose Pinson, the teen's older sister.
Through tears, she spoke to her missing sister. "Pearl Pinson, we love you dearly. We won't give up on you. Stay strong."
Pinson described Pearl as a happy teenager with a loving family, kidnapped on her way to school.
The mood on this two-month anniversary of her disappearance is one of desperation.
"I wake up and I look at her bed. She's not there. It's hard. I cry every morning," said Pinson.
On May 25th, Pearl was last seen on this overpass at Home Acres and Taylor.
A witness reported seeing her being dragged away.
A Solano County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman said 19-year-old Fernando Castro was the kidnapper, but he was later killed by police in a shootout in Santa Barbara County. Pearl has never been found.
"This heart is one she gave me," said Pearl's mother Joyce Pinson who showed KTVU a heart pendant that she's wearing a gift from Pearl. Mom she gave her daughter a ring she hopes to see again.
"There's a ring she's got that I gave her that has dolphins and a heart She never took that ring off. She was wearing that ring the day she left," said Joyce Pinson.
Among the family's supporters is Mitzi Sanchez. During one summer 16 years ago, Sanchez, who was 8-years old at the time, was kidnapped by a stranger in Vallejo, but she managed to escape.
"I will never be able to comprehend why somebody does something like this. I will never understand it. But it happens and we go through it to help other people just like us," said Sanchez.
"Never lose that hope never let go," said Vallejo Mayor Osby Davis as he addressed those attending the vigil.
The teen's mother says her family won't be complete until Pearl comes home.
"I need her back. I want her back bad," said Joyce Pinson.
The Solano County Sheriff's Department said a team of investigators is working on leads and tips. They too are holding out hope that Pearl will be found alive and that there is no evidence to suggest otherwise.