UPDATE: An El Paso family is urgently seeking help to find their missing daughter, 24-year-old Sydney Marquez, last seen in southwest Houston on December 11, 2023. Investigators confirm that crucial surveillance video from a METRO bus has been retrieved, potentially shedding light on her whereabouts.
Sydney was last spotted near the 9100 block of Bellaire Boulevard. Eyewitnesses reported seeing her walking away from a friend’s running car, and it is believed she boarded a northbound METRO bus at the intersection of Gessner and Harwin shortly afterward. Her father, Raul Marquez, has been desperately pleading for access to this video, stating, “The footage is a matter of life and death.”
Authorities report that the METRO Police Department (MPD) successfully obtained the video after initial difficulties. This footage has been handed over to the Houston Police Department (HPD), which is now leading the investigation. MPD officials express hope for Sydney’s safe return and are committed to assisting HPD in the ongoing search.
“Time’s not on our side,” emphasized Tim Miller, founder of Texas EquuSearch, which is collaborating in the search efforts. The urgency is heightened as Sydney, who works in El Paso, was visiting friends in Houston and may have been experiencing a mental health crisis. Raul Marquez revealed, “She was diagnosed with late-onset bipolar disorder with a bit of schizophrenia,” adding that he noticed concerning behavioral changes in recent months.
Sydney Marquez is described as 5 feet 4 inches tall, weighing approximately 120 pounds, with short reddish-brown hair and brown eyes. She wears glasses and has a notable four-leaf clover tattoo on her left wrist. In a heartfelt plea, her father stated, “Sydney, you need to come home now. We miss you. We love you. Christmas is around the corner.”
Witnesses have indicated that Sydney may have boarded the bus with two men who allegedly prevented her from using a phone offered to her at the bus stop. The retrieved bus video could be instrumental in identifying these individuals and determining her fate.
Anyone with information regarding Sydney Marquez’s whereabouts is urged to contact the Houston Police Department at (832) 394-1840 or Texas EquuSearch at (281) 309-9500. The family is counting on the community for support in this critical search.
