Princess Perez Missing Person Case

Mar 02, 2010

Oct 05, 2023

Princess

Perez

32

2

24 inches

25 lbs

White / Caucasian

Female

On June 15, 1996, two-year-old Princess Perez was last seen at her family's home on Webb Avenue in the Bronx, New York. This sighting, by workers from New York's Administration of Children's Services (ACS), would be the last official record of her presence. The toddler, along with her two older sisters, had a history with child protective services, having been placed in foster care in December 1993 due to neglect, only to be returned to their parents' custody in January 1996. Concerns about the children's welfare persisted, with ACS workers documenting lacerations on one of Princess's sisters in the months leading up to her disappearance. When ACS officials returned to the home in August 1996 following a report that Princess was missing, her mother, Karen Perez, claimed the child was living with her grandmother in California, a story she maintained during subsequent inquiries, though she could provide no address. The case lay dormant for two years until a shocking revelation emerged. In 1998, while Princess's father, Antonio Perez, was incarcerated for driving while intoxicated, Karen Perez confided in a relative, stating that Antonio had murdered Princess and disposed of her body. This confession prompted a new investigation. When questioned by authorities, Antonio Perez offered a different account, claiming that Princess had fallen ill and died of natural causes in mid-June 1996 and that he had disposed of her body somewhere in New York City. He agreed to lead investigators to the location but, after pointing out three different sites, her remains were not found. The investigation also brought to light disturbing accounts from Princess's older sisters, who told officials they had seen their younger sister lying motionless with blue lips on the floor of their home. They also reported seeing what appeared to be a small body inside a garbage bag shortly thereafter. Following these revelations, Princess's sisters were removed from their parents' custody and placed back into foster care. In Family Court, Antonio Perez was charged with abuse related to his older daughters for causing them trauma by murdering their sister, a charge to which he pleaded innocent, sticking to his story that her death was from natural causes. Karen Perez later recanted her statement about Antonio killing the child. Despite the conflicting stories, the disturbing eyewitness accounts from the other children, and the father's own admission of disposing of her body, criminal charges were never filed in direct connection to Princess's disappearance or presumed death. The search for Princess Perez has yielded no answers, and she has never been located. Foul play is strongly suspected in her disappearance. The case is a haunting narrative of a child who fell through the cracks of the systems designed to protect her. Conflicting statements from her parents, the harrowing testimony of her siblings, and the inability to recover her body have left the case unresolved. The New York City Police Department continues to list her as a missing person, a small but significant acknowledgment that her fate remains officially unknown.

Jun 15, 1996

Bronx

New York

Kings County

3514

New York City Police Department - Missing Persons Squad

New York

New York

New York County

10039

2770 Frederick Douglass Boulevard, New York

2126947781

Local

Law Enforcement

KNMP96-5774

New York City Police Department - Missing Persons Squad

Brown

Brown

Brown

09/06/2026