Missing Huron Girl Esther Nieblas, 10, Located Safe in Merced

Esther Nieblas, the 10-year-old girl from Huron whose family had not seen her in more than a year, was located safe in Merced after a television news report prompted police to conduct a welfare check. The family confirmed the news through FOX26 News reporter Mayra Franco, who had aired the story that preceded the check. "She is safe and sound," FOX26 reported in an update, adding that police advised the family on how to stay in contact with Esther through existing court orders.

The family's search stretched back to November 2024, when relatives say they last had any contact with Esther. The final communication came during a phone call in which a relative, identified only as Felisciano, asked to speak with the girl directly. "I asked to talk to her and he told me she was asleep and I'm okay. That's fine. Just give her a big kiss and tell her that Tia loves her," Felisciano recounted. After that call, the father stopped responding entirely. "We were supposed to make a barbecue and he never showed up," Felisciano said.

In December, the family says they received information that Nieblas Vasquez, Esther's father, had taken her to Mexico and possibly left her with relatives there. The family noted Esther had never been to Mexico before. That information prompted relatives to contact Huron Police. According to the family, investigators told them Nieblas Vasquez acknowledged Esther was in Mexico on a visit and that he was there as well. Felisciano says he offered to arrange a phone call so officers could speak with Esther directly, but police said they required an in-person meeting. The father was given a deadline to appear with the child and never did.

The family provided documents to FOX26 that they say show Nieblas Vasquez is not permitted to take Esther out of Fresno County or out of California without consent from her mother. Felisciano alleged the father violated those court orders. Complicating the situation further, the family says Esther's mother went to jail in October 2025, leaving relatives as the primary people seeking answers about the child's whereabouts.

The family publicly appealed for information on March 10 and 11, 2026, and their contact with FOX26 set off the chain of events that led to Esther being found. After the story aired, police performed a welfare check in Merced and confirmed the girl was safe. Authorities then guided the family through the court-ordered steps available to them for maintaining contact with Esther going forward.

The family thanked Franco and FOX26 News for what they described as finally getting an answer. Where exactly Esther is now staying, and whether any legal action has been taken against Nieblas Vasquez for the alleged violation of court orders, has not been confirmed by law enforcement.