MIAMI – Two families said Friday that the were hoping the disappearance of their loved ones was not going to turn into a Romeo and Juliet tragedy.
One of the two star-crossed lovers is Coral Gables High School student Samantha Delgado. She has been missing since Dec. 19, when her mom dropped her off at school.
The 16-year-old had a secret that has now come to light. She was having a romantic relationship with Fabel Gin Escalante, a former neighbor. The relationship was forbidden. The 20-year-old man has a criminal record.
Samantha's dad, Daniel Delgado, feared he had kidnapped her, but now he said he knows she ran away. He said has known Escalante since he was 14-years-old and had no intentions of filing charges against him, he said.
"I'm not mad at him and I don't hate him," Delgado said in Spanish. He won't be getting in the way of their relationship either, he said, he just wants him to come back with Samantha.
Samantha's cousin Dede Delgado said the two were in a rocky relationship. In a rush of passion, Escalante had warned Samantha that if he ever saw her dating somebody else "he was going to kill him and her," Delgado said.
The girl's friend Beltania Bermudez said the two had broken up. But evidence shows that the two had been back together for the past three to four months and kept it a secret. Bringing Them Home Director Joe Carollo said the couple won't be facing any consequences if they decide to come back.
"We know that she hid the relationship from both. We know that she used an assumed name when contacting him because of the fact the relationship was not condoned," Carollo said. "We believe they are out there very scared, because they've been portrayed as something they're not."
Before the families realized the two had ran ran away, Miami-Dade school police issued a warrant for Escalante's arrest saying that he was likely "armed and dangerous." The "wanted" poster warned in red letters that he needed to be approached "with caution."
Escalante has a criminal record that includes battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest with violence, aggravated assault and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Samantha's mom said in tears that she knows that Escalante is not going to hurt Samantha.
Escalante's dad had a message for his son.
"If you did this for love, you need to just come back," he said in Spanish.
Police believe Escalante is driving a black Audi station wagon. Police were asking anyone with information to call 305-995-2677 or 305-471- 8477.