Missing and Wanted: 23 Years Later, La Mesa Girl's Fate is Still Not Known

A La Mesa girl was 14 when she went missing more than two decades ago from a street in a neighboring community.

Amanda Marie Rivera would be 37 now, but when she vanished Oct. 5, 1990, she was a petite teenager on her way to a friend's house. The last time she was seen was when she was dropped off on Noble Street in Spring Valley that day.

In 2005, an age-progressed image was created to show how she might look as a 29-year-old. 

At the time she disappeared, Amanda was 5-feet tall, and weighed about 110 pounds. She is Hispanic, and has light brown hair and brown eyes. There is a scar on her right hand. 

Anyone with information about this case is urged to contact authorities:

—The La Mesa Police Department at 619-667-1400
—The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 800-843-5678

About this series:

Scores of cases throughout San Diego County go unsolved by local law enforcement investigators each year. A teen thought to be a runaway has still not come home. A dangerous parolee goes missing. A parent in a custody dispute kidnaps the children. A family member who is homeless and mentally ill disappears off the street. A loved one is murdered and there are few clues or no suspect.

No matter what the circumstances, police and relatives continue to search for those who are missing and wanted. They want the son, sister, or husband home. They want justice for the victims of crimes. They want the bad guys behind bars.

Each day in October, our Patch sites will feature a different person who is missing and wanted in San Diego County. Look at their pictures. Have you seen them? Do you have information that might help them be located, or identify a suspect?

Each profile will have a phone number for you to call to provide information. Let’s help investigators close these cases!