DATE: October 20, 2010
TIME:
CASE NUMBER:
INCIDENT TYPE: Missing Person
OFFICER SUBMITTING RELEASE: Lt. Jim Clements-Homicide Unit/Cpl. Carmela Ogden-PIO
DETAILS: On October 20th, 2010, 14-year-old Jessica Delgadillo was reported missing by her family. The Amarillo Police responded and discovered that she had not returned home from school. Reports were made and an investigation was immediately started. Eventually the case was turned over to the APD Homicide Unit due to a lack of leads and information. The case of Jessica’s disappearance was diligently worked on by many Investigators throughout a ten-year span.
After the Amarillo Police Department established the Cold Case Unit in 2023, Investigators began to look into the three cold case investigations involving missing children from Amarillo. Investigators quickly reached out to NCMEC (National Center for Missing & Exploited Children) and requested assistance. NCMEC officials gladly accepted the invitation and flew two representatives from Team Adam to Amarillo for investigative assistance. Team Adam is a free resource provided by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children to law enforcement. Named after Adam Walsh, the abducted and murdered son of NCMEC co-founders John and Revé Walsh, Team Adam provides rapid, on-site assistance to law enforcement agencies and families in critical cases of missing children. The cases that were looked into were Dorien Thomas, Brandy Noble, and Jessica Delgadillo. Cold Case Investigators and Team Adam went through each case, updating information, and sending out details to social platforms throughout the states. Team Adam used all available resources and contacts to send out information including age progression photos and disappearance details.
On Thursday November 2nd, 2023, the Amarillo Department Homicide Unit received a call from a female advising that she was Jessica Delgadillo and that she knew she had been reported missing. DNA Swabs were collected from the caller and sent to the University of North Texas for comparison to a known family member. After months of waiting, DNA was confirmed that the caller was in fact the missing girl Jessica Delgadillo. Jessica requested that her location and the details of her disappearance not be released, but she is currently living on the east coast. This case can finally be closed and closure for the family.
