In the autumn of 2011, a 46-year-old woman named Bertha Gonzalez Brigara embarked on a journey that would leave her family with over a decade of unanswered questions. On October 14, 2011, she departed from her home in Mexico, with the hope of crossing into the United States. A few days later, on October 16th, she made a phone call to her family from Altar, Sonora, a town known as a staging area for those preparing to cross the border.
During the call, she informed them of her intention to make the crossing the very next day, October 17th. This was the last time her loved ones would ever hear her voice. Her last known location was in the vicinity of Altar, in Pima County, Arizona.
Bertha was last seen wearing blue distressed jeans, a camouflage vest, and pink and black Nike tennis shoes. She carried a medium-sized pink and black canvas backpack, which held personal items including a red or brown leather wallet, black sunglasses, and cherished photographs of her children when they were young. She also had on three pieces of jewelry, two gold and one silver. Distinctive features that might help identify her include pierced ears, a small green tattoo on her left foot, a scar on her back, and a cesarean scar. She also has a black mole on her right cheekbone. Her hair was described as being either reddish or blondish in color.
The days following October 17th, 2011, turned into a painful silence for Bertha's family. With no further communication, the hope of her safe arrival was replaced by a growing sense of dread. A report was filed with the Pima County Medical Examiner's Office on November 4, 2011. The circumstances surrounding her disappearance are sparse, centered entirely on that final phone call and her stated intention to cross the border. Her case is a heart-wrenching example of the ambiguous loss faced by families of individuals who go missing while attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexico border, a journey fraught with peril. The lack of any further information has left her family in a prolonged state of uncertainty, clinging to the details of her last known moments and the description of the items she carried with her.Last Seen: Oct 17, 2011
