Layla Gallegos Missing Person Case

Feb 28, 2013

Mar 13, 2024

Layla

Gallegos

26

2

34 inches

35 lbs

Hispanic / Latino

Female

In a case born from tragedy and international complexities, two-year-old Layla Marie Gallegos, a Hispanic female, vanished from Eagle River, Alaska. Although records point to her disappearance around February 28, 2002, the precise date remains uncertain, adding a layer of ambiguity to the already painful circumstances. At the time she went missing, Layla was described as having wavy, light brown hair, dark brown eyes, and a small, superficial hole on the outside of her left ear. Known affectionately as "Laylee," her disappearance is not a typical missing persons case, but is classified as a family abduction, unfolding against a backdrop of profound family turmoil. The events leading to Layla's disappearance are heartbreaking. Her parents, Michele Gallegos and Enrique Gallegos-Gonzalez, had divorced, and her father was granted custody of Layla and her brother, Quique. They lived in Mexico, with an arrangement for the children to spend summers with their mother in Alaska. This arrangement was shattered in February 2002 when, in a devastating turn of events, Layla's father fatally shot her brother before taking his own life. In the immediate aftermath of this tragedy, temporary custody of the young girl was granted to her paternal grandmother, Yolanda Gonzalez-Garcia. Following the tragic deaths, a judge ordered that Layla be returned to Alaska so that permanent custody could be determined by the court. However, her grandmother, Yolanda Gonzalez-Garcia, reportedly refused to comply with the court order. Instead, it is believed she fled with Layla, and authorities suspect they went to Mexico. The Alaska State Troopers are the primary investigating agency, but the international border has complicated the search for the young girl. The case is an overview of a family abduction rooted in a violent tragedy, where a grandmother, in defiance of a court order, disappeared with her granddaughter, leaving a mother behind in Alaska to wonder about the fate and well-being of her child.

Feb 28, 2002

Eagle River

Alaska

Anchorage Borough

Eagle River

No

30518

Alaska State Troopers

Anchorage

Alaska

Anchorage Borough

99507

Malia Miller

Missing Persons Clearinghouse Manager

5700 East Tudor Road, Alaska

9072695511

State

Law Enforcement

020081362

2002-11-12

Alaska State Troopers

Brown

Brown

Brown

07/19/2026