SALEMBURG — The search for a missing Salemburg woman continued Friday, even as Sampson County Sheriff’s authorities were notified that the vehicle she was last seen in was found abandoned in Texas.

Information was also received that the woman’s son, reported missing along with her, is in Mexico. However, that has not been able to be officially confirmed by sheriff’s authorities.

The search for Mary Esther Avellaneda, 38, and her son, Jose Andres Avellaneda, 13, began after a family member reported the two missing Tuesday. Family had not seen the two since late Sunday when they left their home on Patterson Lane with Avellaneda’s estranged husband, Jose Cruz Avellaneda.

Around 9 p.m. that night, the three left the Patterson Lane residence in a white 1995 Chevrolet Lumina, which Jose Cruz Avellaneda was driving, family told sheriff’s authorities. About 20 minutes later, the man returned to the Salemburg home without the woman or her son, family said.

The abandoned Chevrolet Lumina was found at a truck stop in San Antonio , law enforcement officials there told sheriff’s officials Friday. No one was around the vehicle, which looked as though it had been there for up to two days, authorities said.

Locally, sheriff’s investigators and those assisting from nearby counties have scoured the middle of the county — in the air and on ground — from west of Clinton extending to the Salemburg area.

“We’re approaching it from all possibilities right now,” Sampson County Sheriff Jimmy Thornton said. He stopped short of calling the case a homicide investigation, but noted it was definitely suspicious.

Following leads received by the Sheriff’s Office, a N.C. Highway Patrol helicopter unit was utilized for several hours in the morning Thursday, flying over a five-mile radius over the Clinton and Salemburg areas. Another helicopter unit, from the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, assisted in the aerial search for several hours Thursday afternoon.

Then, throughout the day Friday, sheriff’s detectives searched the vicinity around Crumpler Mill Road, notably a large pond and wooded section there.

So far, efforts have been unsuccessful.

And, even as the searches go on, there was frustration from investigators by perceived misinformation from Avellaneda’s family members.

Sheriff’s authorities were initially told by family that Mary Avellaneda and her husband had been staying at separate residences because of a history of domestic abuse by Jose Cruz Avellaneda. Family members said the man left the area and refused to tell anyone where the two were located.

After initial investigation, Capt. Julian Carr said some information from Avellaneda’s family simply was not true. Family members said the teenage boy was missing, when they knew he was not, Carr said.

“The son is not missing,” Carr said Friday. “He’s well and in Mexico. They know he’s all right. I don’t know why they’re saying that.”

Because of the uncorroborated reports, the teenager is still considered missing. Family members said they still do not know the whereabouts of the estranged couple.

Anyone with information in the case is encouraged to call the Sampson County Sheriff’s Office at 910-592-4141.

Chris Berendt can be reached at 910-592-8137, ext. 121, or by email at sicrime@intrstar.net.