Friday marks the third anniversary of the disappearance of a woman in one of the most challenging missing persons cases the Cambridge Police Department has ever tried to solve.
March 31, 2020, was the last day Mitchel Iviquel was seen by family.
WATCH ANYTIME FOR FREE
 |
Stream NBC10 Boston news for free, 24/7, wherever you are. |
"I'm a whisper away from 30 years here on the job, and I have to say, I don't think I can remember a missing persons case that we didn't have some sliver of information that we could go by," said Deputy Superintendent Pauline Wells, who oversees the Criminal Investigations Unit for the Cambridge Police Department. "It's very worrisome, I have to say. This is a very worrisome case for us."
Get updates on what's happening in Boston to your inbox. Sign up for our News Headlines newsletter.
Police say Iviquel, a 44-year-old homeless woman, has suffered from PTSD, depression and anxiety. She is a veteran who spent six years in the Army National Guard and served part of that time overseas in Kuwait.
She was last seen at her father's house in Somerville.
"We stay in contact with the family quite often, and they have not heard from her, either," said Wells. "She does have family in Somerville, she has family in Boston, Mattapan, and she had spent a little time down in Connecticut, but other than that, Central Square was her home. And that's where she spent most of her time."
Local
In-depth news coverage of the Greater Boston Area.
Wells added that Iviquel's information has been added into every database police could access.
"It's very difficult, because we literally have zero leads," Wells said. "She had VA benefits that she has not taken advantage of. She has no EBT card. There is literally no trace of where she may have gone."
NBC10 Boston spoke to several homeless people in Central Square on Friday, showing them Iviquel's photo to see if they recognized her.
One man, who chose to remain anonymous, said she looked familiar, and that he was sympathetic to her circumstances.
"I live where I live, I'm homeless," he explained. "I feel for anybody that may be out here and doesn't know themselves and could be lost."
Cambridge Police are asking for the public's help in solving this case.
At one point, she was seen by a family member accompanied by a man and his young daughter, who were both hearing impaired and communicating with sign language. The two were also believed to be homeless.
"Please take a good look at the pictures, and if you see anyone that resembles Mitchel, please call 911," Wells said.
