Member-only story
What Happened to a Southern California Mother?
The unsolved disappearance of Monique Figueroa.
Monique Figueroa, age 28, grew up in the small and isolated desert town of Little Rock in Southern California where she enjoyed spending time with the boys in the community. She enjoyed riding dirt bikes and was the manager of Little Rock High School’s varsity baseball and wrestling teams.
Monique was a good girl with a positive upbringing who received a trophy for having perfect attendance at the local Sunday church services. She was also an excellent student who did quite well in school with what appeared to be a bright future ahead of her.
In high school, Monique fell in love with a young man whom her family described as her soulmate. They thought the young couple was destined to have a long life together, but destiny had other plans when Monique’s boyfriend died suddenly and unexpectedly.
Eventually, Monique moved on to another relationship and became pregnant with her daughter. After giving birth Monique started hanging out with a rougher crowd and got involved with methamphetamine (meth) as a way to lose weight. The changes in her were subtle and only one of her close friends realized she had started using drugs.
