Police detain four suspects in case of missing Miss Honduras 2014

In this April 26, 2014 photo, Maria Jose Alvarado is crowned the new Miss Honduras in San Pedro, Sula, Honduras. Alvarado, and her sister Sofia disappeared after attending a birthday party in Western Honduras on Thursday Nov. 13, but authorities were not notified until the weekend. The 19-year-old beauty queen was expected to attend the Miss World pageant in Britain this December. (AP Photo)

Honduran authorities are holding four people for questioning about the disappearance four days ago of Miss Honduras 2014, María José Alvarado, police said Monday.

One of the detained, Plutarco Ruiz, is the boyfriend of Alvarado's sister, Sofia, 23, who also went missing with the beauty queen. Another being held is the owner of the business where the women disappeared, said police spokesman Lt. Joseph Coello, though he would not identify him.

"Initially we detained 10, but six have been released," Coello said.

The two women were last seen Thursday in a spa in Santa Barbara, about 240 miles west of Tegucigalpa, where they had gone to celebrate Ruiz's birthday. They have not been heard from since. Coello said the case is being treated as a disappearance because there has been no evidence of a kidnapping.

"Witnesses said my daughter left the spa with three men," her mother, Teresa Muñoz, told reporters. "I tried repeatedly all night to call their cellphones without any response."

Chief prosecutor Gabriela Carranza said there are leads in the case that they can't discuss so as not to interfere with the investigation.

Alvarado, 19, was crowned Miss Honduras in April and is expected to compete in the Miss World pageant in London next month. She was supposed to have left for England on Sunday.