Guadalupe Barajas Castro

Guadalupe, circa 2001

  • Missing Since 11/26/2001
  • Missing From Longview, Washington
  • Classification Endangered Missing
  • Sex Female
  • Race Hispanic
  • Date of Birth 08/28/1978 (45)
  • Age 23 years old
  • Height and Weight 5'4, 150 pounds
  • Medical Conditions Guadalupe was eight and a half months pregnant at the time of her November 2001 disappearance. It was considered a high-risk pregnancy and she was not supposed to travel.
  • Associated Vehicle(s) Jeep Cherokee (accounted for)
  • Distinguishing Characteristics Hispanic female. Black hair, black eyes. Guadalupe's ears are pierced. Her nickname is Lupita and she may use the last name Castro-Arias or Castro Arias.

Details of Disappearance

Guadalupe was last seen in Longview, Washington on November 26, 2001. She and her three-year-old daughter, Agueda Elizabeth Arias, were planning to go shopping with Guadalupe's husband and Agueda's father, Gregario Arias Ibal, in Portland, Oregon during the day. They were going to buy clothes for Guadalupe's unborn baby.

Guadalupe had been estranged from Gregario at the time of her and Agueda's disappearances, but was considering reconciliation. She and her daughter had lived together with Guadalupe's parents for about a year prior to November 2001.

The vehicle the family had been riding in, Gregario's Jeep Cherokee, was discovered abandoned in Kerman, California sometime after their disappearances, parked at the residence of one of his relatives. Gregario dropped it off there, and left a message on his relative's answering machine. There was no sign of Agueda or her mother at the scene. They left all their clothes behind.

Guadalupe and Gregario are both originally from central Mexico. Although Gregario was not a legal resident of the United States and traveled back and forth between the U.S. and Mexico, Guadalupe and Agueda are American citizens and Guadalupe had a job in Washington and close ties to her family and her Pentecostal church. An anonymous phone caller to Guadalupe's family said that Guadalupe was in Arizona and ill, but the person did not provide specific information. The call was placed from Tucson, Arizona. Authorities do not know if the information provided is accurate.

Gregario's family claims he and his sister, Regina Arias-Ibal, disappeared on the same day Agueda and Guadalupe did. Regina's date of birth is April 2, 1982, making her 19 years old at the time. She's described as Hispanic, 5'2 and 110 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.

In 2020, Agueda and Gregario were found together outside of Guadalajara, a city in west central state of Jalisco in Mexico. Agueda is now 22 years old. Her identity was confirmed by DNA and she was able to obtain a US passport. There was no sign of Guadalupe, however, and it's unclear if Gregario's sister has also been located.

Guadalupe's mother died in 2007, but her father and siblings are still alive and looking for her. Her father believes she was murdered.

Updated 3 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated November 29, 2020; details of disappearance updated.