The last remaining police officer in the Mexican border town of Guadalupe has disappeared. The rest of the police force had fled the town located along a lucrative and bloody drug trafficking route.

This is the picture of twenty-eight-year-old officer Ericka Gandara. She was the only police officer left in the border town.

Desertions and resignations have pared the police force in the town from about eight officers one year ago to only her.

But Gandara hasn't been seen since December 23. While some local media have reported Gandara was kidnapped, a prosecutor’s spokesman says it's too early to draw conclusions.

Carlos Gonzalez, Spokesman, Chihuahua Attorney General's Office, said, "(Erika Gandara) worked as a public security officer in the municipality of Guadalupe Distrito Bravo. She was the only officer, a woman, of the force. She was removed violently from her home by a group of armed men. There isn't a formal complaint by her family members yet, however, the attorney general's office is conducting an investigation."

The search has been started as a missing-person case.

Drug cartels have fought bloody battles for control of the Juarez Valley where Guadalupe is located. Many residents have fled across the border to Texas or to other Mexican cities.

Most police officers have resigned and few people are willing to take their place.