The last confirmed sighting of Angelica was in her hometown of Temple, Texas on July 14, 1985. She was seen inside an unidentified 1977 Chevrolet pickup truck, accompanied by an unidentified Caucasian male and female. The witness told authorities that the truck's hood, front fender and bed were painted red and white. The doors were blue and white and the top of the truck was painted white. According to the witness, the vehicle was dirty, dented and in general disrepair. Angelica was sighted in the truck approximately two blocks from her grandmother's residence in Temple. She was walking back to her family's home at the time she disappeared. She has never been seen again.

In 2007, authorities announced they considered David Elliot Penton a person of interest in Angelica's disappearance and in the disappearances and murders of several other young girls, including Amber Crum and Ara Johnson. Photographs of Penton are posted below this case summary. He is has been incarcerated in an Ohio prison since 1987. He also signed a plea agreement admitting to the murders of three girls in Texas. The Texas victims disappeared over a period of 18 months in the Dallas area, and ranged in age from 4 to 9 years old. Penton was also convicted of manslaughter in the child abuse death of his own infant son in 1984; he fled while free on bond pending the outcome of his appeal, and remained at large until 1987, when he was charged with the murder of a friend's 9-year-old niece in Ohio. He was later convicted of this crime. Penton's cellmates went to investigators and claimed he had implicated himself in the disappearances of Ara, Amber and Angelica. He has not been charged in connection with any of these disappearances, however.

Ramiro Rubi Ibarra is another possible suspect in Angelica's case. In 1997, he was convicted of the 1987 rape and murder of a sixteen-year-old girl from Waco, Texas. Ibarra, an acquaintance of the victim's family, broke into her home and killed her. He was sentenced to death and is still awaiting execution. Authorities have been unable to link him to Angelica, however. A photo of Ibarra is posted below this case summary.

Angelica lived in the 800 block of north 6th Street at the time of her disappearance. She may have been seen in San Antonio, Texas after she went missing, but this has not been confirmed. Her disappearance remains unsolved. Foul play is suspected.

Left and Center: David Elliot Penton, circa 2007;
Right: Ramiro Rubi Ibarra