Help Sought to Find Mentally Impaired Girl

Police on Thursday requested help in locating a 17-year-old girl who has been missing from her Westminster group home for more than a week.

Gloria Rios, who has the mental capacity of a 10-year-old, was last seen about 9:30 a.m. July 6 at Edison High School in Huntington Beach, police said.

Rios attended her first-period special education class and then went to get aspirin from the school nurse, but she disappeared from the campus, Detective Jim Dowling said.

“There is no indication of foul play,” Dowling said. “It all points that she left on her own free will.”

Rios has run away before, Dowling said. The last time was in April, 1990. She was found unharmed at a hospital in Norwalk, he said.

Dowling said that some residents of the group home told police they had heard Rios say she wanted to “go away,” but they do not know where.

Rios is 5-foot-3 and weighs about 160 pounds. She has brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a beige pullover sweater and blue pants with white checks. She wears glasses that are tinted light pink.

Police are asking anyone with information about Rios to call Dowling at (714) 536-5959 or Sgt. William Van Cleve at (714) 536-5949.