(KTLA) – Authorities are offering a $250,000 reward for information on a missing girl whose mother was found murdered in San Francisco in 2016.
The missing girl, Arianna Fitts, now 9 years old, disappeared on April 5, 2016, when she was only 2 after her mother, Nicole “Nikki” Fitts, was found murdered.
An age progression image of how Arianna might look today was released by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC).
“Investigators and NCMEC believe Arianna could still be alive, and they’re asking the public to pay attention to her age progression image,” officials said.
FBI investigators say the search for Arianna has extended nationwide, and they believe some witnesses have relocated to areas throughout California and Nevada.
Fitts was a single mother who worked nights and hired a babysitter to take care of Arianna, her family said. It was a temporary solution until she could get back on her feet. This arrangement went on for several months, according to a video released by NCMEC.
On April 1, Fitts told a friend she planned to meet Arianna’s babysitter. That was the last time she was heard from, authorities said.
Less than a week later on April 8, Fitts was found murdered in a public park in San Francisco and buried in a shallow grave.
Arianna was last spotted in Oakland in January or February of 2016, according to officials.
FBI investigators believe Fitts’ death and Ariana’s disappearance are connected, although they do not believe Arianna was with her mother when she was killed.
“We’re asking everyone, no matter where you are or how busy you may be, to just take a brief moment to look closely at this image,” said Angeline Hartmann, Director of Communications at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. “You may be the key to finding Arianna and not even know it.”
Arianna is described as a Black female with brown eyes and black hair. At the time of her disappearance, she was 2 feet tall and weighed 45 pounds.
The San Francisco Police Department is offering a $250,000 reward for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the suspects responsible for Fitts’ murder and her child’s disappearance.
Anyone with information is asked to call San Francisco Police at 415-575-4444 or NCMEC at 1-800-843-5678.
