The sister of White Sox 2017, 23-round pick Michael Duarte is still missing after the Las Vegas shooting that left 527 people injured and 59 deceased. Christina Duarte’s cellphone and I.D. were found at the scene of the Jason Aldean concert where a gunman opened fire on a crowd of 22,000 from a hotel-room window.
EVERYONE PLEASE SHARE!!!! pic.twitter.com/Mm9DBmEP1C
— tina yeghiayan (@tinayeghiayan) October 2, 2017
Michael Duarte provided the following update to me through a Facebook message on Tuesday.
“…It’s a tough time for my family right now…I will let you know this my sister is my life and she’s everything to me. She’s my world. She’s the best person a guy can ever dream of.”
It is still unclear if his sister has been located but current lists of deceased do not include Christina Duarte.
Duarte also explained that his girlfriend, Ariel Romero is having surgery on Tuesday and that his sister and Romero “…are my life.”
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There were conflicting reports Monday afternoon that Ms. Duarte had been found at an area hospital but this information has not been confirmed. Michael and his parents were in Las Vegas at the time of the shooting but did not attend the concert.
Another report on Monday identified Romero, Michael Duarte’s girlfriend among the injured. Romero and Duarte’s sister attended the concert together on Sunday.
Sandy Mazza of The Daily Breeze in Southern California reported that Romero had been shot in the face but was in stable condition. “The gunshot entered her cheek and exited her neck,” Romero’s aunt, Perla Arellano said Monday. “She’s in stable condition.
Arellano’s account of Romero’s discovery was harrowing. Mazza writes, “Romero’s phone also was lost in the chaos. But she wrote her mother’s phone number on her hand before losing consciousness so rescue workers could notify her, Arellano said.”
Michael posted this tweet at approximately 8 p.m. local time.
— Michael Duarte (@DuarteMjduarte) October 2, 2017
Ms. Duarte is a recent graduate of the University of Arizona and returned home to work for the L.A. Kings who pinned a tweet looking for her.
LA Kings friends: Christiana Duarte was last seen at yesterday's concert in Las Vegas.
Contact (866) 535-5654 if you have any information. pic.twitter.com/wNXUPnHqJ9
— LA Kings (@LAKings) October 2, 2017
Christina’s brother confirmed to Arizona Central through a Facebook message that she was missing earlier in the day and took an optimistic tone when he said, “my baby sister will come home!!! She’s my life. My best friend!”
White Sox first-round pick Jake Burger unwittingly posted this message to twitter long before he realized one of his teammates was impacted, later retweeting the calls searching for Christina Duarte.
My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families from this awful situation. Can't believe my eyes. #prayforvegas
— Jake Burger (@Burgatron13) October 2, 2017
And the reach of this catastrophe extended beyond the White Sox family with heralded prospect Keston Hiura sending out a call for information on Duarte’s whereabouts.
One of my good friend's sister is missing from the shooting last night. Please share and contact if there's any info on her #PrayForVegas https://t.co/SnPMl7U2st
— Keston Hiura (@Kestdaddy) October 2, 2017
