Family says Sydney Marquez was found safe, but say the situation is far from resolved

Her family said she was found safe in the Houston area, but remains worried due to her mental health struggles and lack of contact.

HOUSTON — We’re learning brand new details after 24-year-old Sydney Marquez was found alive nearly three weeks after she went missing.

Her family tells KHOU 11 News that they still haven’t been able to speak with her and don’t know where she is.

We got an update Friday afternoon from Jersey Village police, who say that they talked with Sydney briefly Friday morning but determined that she was not a threat or in danger to herself or to others, so they let her go. They said the legal criteria for an emergency detention order were not met.

Police also say that they offered help to Sydney, but she declined.

Jersey Village police say that someone spotted Sydney just before 1 a.m. Friday at the intersection of Seattle Street and Senate Avenue, and that person called police.

Police say EMS gave a medical evaluation to Sydney on the scene and determined there were no visible signs of trauma and no immediate need for further medical attention. Police also say that officers offered Sydney help, including hotel accommodations and food, but she refused.

Officers say Sydney asked to leave on her own free will, and she didn’t want any help, so she was released.

Sydney’s family says police should not have let her walk away.

“When we found out that she was taken to the police, we were so grateful and, and like, this is over, we’re done,” said Sydney’s sister, Clarissa Marquez. “And then we got the call two hours later, they released her. I just don’t even know what to say. We’re just disappointed.”

“Our frustration really is that, you know, the police just didn’t end up there, just didn’t hold up their end of the deal by taking her to a hospital,” said Sydney’s other sister, Kayla Marquez.

Police say Sydney initially agreed to leave with the co-founder of the Texas Countertrafficking Initiative, who was contacted by Sydney’s father, but she later declined after speaking with them.

Sydney told police that she would reach out to her mother via email at a later time.

Jersey Village police also said there were no indications of any criminal activity related to this incident, but the family is still wondering at this moment where Sydney is. They’ve not been able to speak with her directly.

Family had pleaded for help during search

Marquez’s family had spent days publicly urging anyone with information to come forward as the search intensified across southwest Houston.

“If you see my daughter, if she’s endangered. Please don’t stay quiet,” her father, Raul Marquez, said during a press conference. “If you see something, if you know something, please say something. I miss my daughter. She needs to come home.”

Originally wen missing in southwest Houston

According to the Houston Police Department, Marquez first went missing near the 9100 block of Bellaire Boulevard, close to Ranchester Road.

Search efforts focused on the surrounding Asiatown area, where volunteers and investigators canvassed businesses for surveillance video. KHOU 11 previously obtained video showing Marquez walking northbound along Ranchester Road on the night she disappeared.

Search organizers said the footage did not indicate she was in distress.

“It didn’t look like she was in distress, like a normal walk, not running, not staggering,” said Tim Miller with Texas EquuSearch. “It certainly appeared to be a normal walk.”

Mental health concerns previously shared

Family members previously said Marquez struggles with mental health challenges and was not taking her medication at the time she disappeared. Her father said she has wandered off alone before.

On the night she went missing, family members said Marquez was visiting friends in Houston and left alone after several hours.

KHOU 11 will continue to update this story as additional details are confirmed by authorities or family members.