Katharina Buczek
Then, at about 7:00 p.m., Graciela’s son realized that he had one text message and two missed calls from his mom. He also tried to call her back, but he was sent straight to voicemail.
“That was a huge red flag. She always had her phone on and had been in constant contact with my brother that night. They were supposed to meet. That was the plan. She wouldn’t have just turned her phone off and disappeared,” said Gabby.
So, Graciela’s youngest son was worried, and he ultimately told his older siblings about the situation. This prompted Graciela’s older children to go and search her home.
At that point, they discovered that her car was still parked in front of her house, and nothing inside appeared out of order. Yet, their mother was still nowhere to be found.
“That was odd, too. All her jewelry was there. In one place. Whenever she would go out, she would put on her rings. Things would be scattered, like her clothes, but it was all in one place. And nothing was missing,” Gabby recalled.
Graciela has been missing ever since, and the day after she disappeared, she missed multiple appointments at her beauty salon.
She was ultimately reported missing to the Hermiston Police Department by one of her daughters on November 11, 2019.
Upon launching an investigation, it was discovered that Graciela had left behind the majority of her personal belongings – such as her car, purse, clothing, and makeup. Still, she vanished with her cell phone, ID, and passport.
Investigators determined that her cell phone last pinged at about 12:30 a.m. to a cell tower in Washington on November 9, 2019. Afterward, it was disconnected.
Since then, there has been no activity on her bank account, phone, or social media accounts.
Authorities also questioned Graciela’s husband, Cuahotemoc, who claimed that she’d left town. Cuahotemoc reportedly cooperated with the investigation – undergoing a polygraph test, providing DNA samples, and consenting to a search of his residence.
