Saturday night was the last time Tortosa resident Ivette Aurora Sainz-Tapia saw her 16-year-old son, Javier Alzuhair-Sainz, whom she said had gotten “involved with the wrong crowd.” 

Sainz-Tapia recalled her son left home just before 10 p.m. that day carrying two pillowcases filled with clothes.  

“He basically walked out the door and was picked up by a car,” she told InMaricopa today. “I couldn’t get plates, and I couldn’t see who it was, but I know it was a grey, four-door car.” 

Sainz-Tapia said this wasn’t the first time her son ran away in the last three years, but this time, there’s added concern. 

“He has run away before and he doesn’t take clothes or anything, so I know he is going to come back at some point, but this time I don’t know,” she said. “This time feels different.” 

Sainz-Tapia said she believes her son is staying with friends who are “hiding him,” but she is worried because Alzuhair-Sainz has a court date tomorrow and “if he doesn’t appear in court, he’s going to get a warrant for his arrest.” 

The missing teen reportedly told his grandmother he planned to leave for Mexico “because he doesn’t want to face his consequences with juvenile [court],” his mother said. 

“Time is of the essence,” Sainz-Tapia said, noting she received a tip that he was seen at Walmart yesterday, and is hoping for that to be true. She believes he is still in Maricopa. 

“There are tips that he may still be within the city of Maricopa and staying with persons known to him,” Williams said. “We are actively pursuing that information.” 

Sainz-Tapia described her son as five-foot-six and weighing about 110 pounds. She said he is not enrolled in school and fell into drug and alcohol abuse after getting swept up into the wrong crowd in Maricopa. 

“Maricopa is pretty quiet and pretty safe, but there’s still really bad things going on,” she said. “It’s really frustrating as parents, even if we know where they’re at, to get our kids back.” 

“We just want him to return home safe,” she added.

Maricopa police have marked Alzuhair-Sainz as a “runaway.” If you have information about his whereabouts, contact Maricopa Police Department at 520-568-3673.