A Portland teenager was still missing Saturday, a week after she was last seen by her family, and police are asking for information about her whereabouts.

Hilda Vanessa Sanaguaray-Upaya, 14, was last seen around 8 a.m. Jan. 27, when she ran away from a group of family members in the area of the Northgate Shopping Center at 91 Auburn St. after an argument, Portland police Lt. Robert Martin said. Police released no new information about the case Saturday morning.

Family members did not chase after her because they figured she would calm down and return to the family’s home nearby, but no one has heard from her since, Martin said.

The teenager is a student at Deering High School and lives in the North Deering neighborhood near where she was last seen. She has not been to school or had any contact with friends or family members.

Martin said she had never been missing overnight, let alone for an extended period of time. He said she has little cash, no access to credit or debit cards, and left the house that day without her cellphone.

“We’re looking for any information, however small someone might think it is,” Martin said. “We are getting some information from classmates and friends and things like that, that is giving us some direction, some more investigative opportunities, so we appreciate those calls. It’s something as simple as learning the name of a new friend or associate.”

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Portland police said Sanaguaray-Upaya has been known to use aliases on social media accounts with the names Valentina Diaz and Nelly Guaman. She also goes by the name Vanessa. The girl speaks both English and Spanish fluently.

Martin said investigators are also interested to know of any social media accounts Sanaguaray-Upaya may use that have not already been reported to them.

Sanaguaray-Upaya is 5-foot-1 and weighs 100 pounds. She has long black hair and brown eyes. On Jan. 27, she was wearing a black hooded jacket and bluejeans. She may have with her a pink wallet with a small amount of cash.

Anyone who has seen Sanaguaray-Upaya or has information about her is being asked to call the Portland Police Department at 874-8575.

 


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