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Angelina “Angie” Petra Resendiz, 21, was last seen Wednesday, May 29, at her barracks in Miller Hall at Naval Station Norfolk, according to the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS).
She was actively working aboard the USS James E. Williams when she went missing.
Officials said Resendiz is 5-foot-5 and 160 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.
No details about what she was last wearing or a possible vehicle she could be traveling in was released by state police.
“This disappearance poses a credible threat to their health and safety as determined by the investigating agency,” VSP wrote.
She failed to show up for duty and has not been seen or heard from since, something that is completely out of character, her family says.
NCIS released a missing person poster and is investigating, but her mother says the silence from military officials has been deafening.
“Resendiz’s absence is out of character and loved ones are deeply concerned,” her family said in a Facebook post shared by multiple supporters. “She wouldn’t just unauthorized leave without permission. Angie’s too scared to miss work; she wouldn’t do that. Something was wrong.”
Since Resendiz vanished, loved ones say the Navy has remained quiet and ambiguous about the search efforts.
"With all of the technology at the Navy's disposal, there is no reason for a sailor to go missing or stay missing," they stated.
They allege NCIS has refused to share any specific details with her, despite the base being a secured military facility with access to extensive surveillance and search resources.
“The Naval base is in a wooded area,” organizers wrote on a GoFundMe launched to support her search. “NCIS has refused to tell Angie’s mother anything about the search.”
The family now hopes to search the woods surrounding the base and is planning to organize a protest to call attention to how the military handles cases involving missing women.
She is calling for reform and public pressure.
The GoFundMe campaign, titled “Support Esmeralda’s Search for Angie Resendiz,” had raised $640 of its $16,000 goal as of Monday, June 9.
Funds will go toward travel, legal fees, and the costs of coordinating a grassroots search and potential demonstration.
“We are asking for monetary support to help Esmeralda Castle, Angie’s mother, to search for her daughter,” the GoFundMe page reads.
Castle is a third-year law student at Mitchell Hamline School of Law, and her classmates and family have been sharing Angie’s story on social media, urging the public to take action.
“Please help by donating to her GoFundMe to assist with current and future expenses while Esme searches for her daughter,” wrote Wendy Jeter, who described Castle as her “dear friend and sister-in-law.” “Please pray as hard as you can and share the flyer.”
Former Culinary Specialist Veronica Smith also posted a powerful tribute, saying Angie’s case brought back emotional memories of her own time in uniform.
“If she just needed a mental break then please send her to me,” Smith wrote. “I get it! I was a Culinary Specialist. When I saw her story, it just made sense. Find her. Find YOU. Ah, ah, humanity!”
NCIS continues to ask anyone with information to come forward. They have not issued any updates since the original missing person bulletin.
Others called for the search to be shared across the country. “Please Share This Nationwide Around The World,” wrote Brenda Wheeler in a widely circulated Facebook post. “If anyone seen something, say something. With any information, you are asked to call 1-877-579-3648.”
The GoFundMe can be found here.
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