Father of missing girl who has leukemia questioned at border
Posted:
Updated:
By FOX 10 News - Staff Report
Luis Bracamontes
Emily
Hospital surveillance video
PHOENIX -
It's been nearly a week, and still no sign of an 11-year-old girl removed from Phoenix Children's Hospital by her mother.
Monday, Phoenix Police revealed there's a chance the girl was taken to Mexico.
Border Patrol agents stopped the girl's father over the weekend as he was entering the U.S. at the border into Arizona. He was not in the Ford minivan last seen leaving the hospital.
Agents interviewed him, but police say he didn't reveal much information and he was let go.
"Luis provided no valuable information to us with respect to finding Emily. He denied involvement or knowledge of the removal of Emily from the hospital. In addition, he could not provide information regarding Emily or her mother's whereabouts," said Phoenix Police Sgt. Steve Martos.
With so little information to go on, police are releasing the names of Emily's parents: Norma and Luis Bracamontes. Their names were withheld for patient privacy reasons, but police are running out of time.
The girl was at Phoenix Children's Hospital undergoing treatment for leukemia.
She had a catheter placed in her heart as part of the treatment -- and that needs to be removed by a doctor -- or she could develop a deadly infection.
So why did her parents put her life at risk and remove her from the hospital while undergoing chemo treatments?
Anthony Conti runs the I-Purple Society, a nonprofit dedicated to helping families dealing with childhood cancer.
"The first thing to understand you can't think straight, your mind is like mush," says Conti. "A lot of them lose their homes, they lose their cars, they lose their jobs because they have to be there when the child is going through the treatment and the job won't allow that, they just can't get that time off of work... we have known people who have just decided to go to Disneyland and say, you know what we are taking her off treatment. We are out of here that's it."
Whatever the reason, police just want to make sure Emily is ok.
Martos stressed: "All we want is for Emily to be well and ensure that she doesn't get ill, and ultimately the worst case scenario is that she die from an infection."
Monday, May 20 2013 10:42 PM EDT2013-05-21 02:42:18 GMT
Omar Morales feels lucky to be here for his son Joshua's 10th birthday on Monday. Morales was one of the passengers on board a USAir flight that made an emergency landing at Newark Liberty.
Omar Morales feels lucky to be here for his son Joshua's 10th birthday on Monday. Morales was one of the passengers on board a USAir flight that made an emergency landing at Newark Liberty.
Monday, May 20 2013 10:28 PM EDT2013-05-21 02:28:23 GMT
After Assemblyman Vito Lopez resigned over claims of serial sexual harassment of female staffers, attention turned to whether powerful Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver should continue his leadership.
After Assemblyman Vito Lopez resigned over claims of serial sexual harassment of female staffers, attention turned to whether powerful Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver should continue his leadership.
Monday, May 20 2013 7:05 PM EDT2013-05-20 23:05:15 GMT
A private country club opened its golf course to the public for a charity tournament to raise money for Superstorm Sandy relief. The Westlake Golf and Country Club in Jackson hosted the event on May 13,
A private country club opened its golf course to the public for a charity tournament to raise money for Superstorm Sandy relief. The Westlake Golf and Country Club in Jackson hosted the event on May 13,
Monday, May 20 2013 6:30 PM EDT2013-05-20 22:30:03 GMT
Repair work on tracks that were damaged in last week's train collision has progressed quickly enough that the MTA predicts restoring full service along the New Haven line by Wednesday morning.
Repair work on tracks that were damaged in last week's train collision has progressed quickly enough that the MTA predicts restoring full service along the New Haven line by Wednesday morning.
Monday, May 20 2013 6:05 PM EDT2013-05-20 22:05:22 GMT
A spate of hate-fueled attacks on gay men in New York, including a killing in the heart of one of its most gay-friendly neighborhoods, is stirring up anxiety, disbelief and outrage.
A spate of hate-fueled attacks on gay men in New York, including a killing in the heart of one of its most gay-friendly neighborhoods, is stirring up anxiety, disbelief and outrage.
Monday, May 20 2013 5:32 PM EDT2013-05-20 21:32:24 GMT
As a family prepared for the funeral of a Hofstra junior killed by a cop's bullet during a standoff with an armed intruder, questions remain about how police handled the situation.
As a family prepared for the funeral of a Hofstra junior killed by a cop's bullet during a standoff with an armed intruder, questions remain about how police handled the situation.
Luis Bracamontes
Emily
Hospital surveillance video
