Petition urges government to allow murdered teen's father to enter U.S. for her funeral

LUMBERTON, North Carolina -- An online petition is urging government officials to allow the father of a slain North Carolina teenage girl to attend her funeral.

A petition on Change.org urging immigration officials to let the father of Hania Aguilar attend her funeral next week has more than 12,000 signatures as of Monday morning. The petition says her father lives in Guatemala and would need an expedited visa to attend.

Police said they found Aguilar's body last week after several weeks of searching.

SEE ALSO: Body found off road where FBI requested video in search for missing teen Hania Aguilar

Police say a man forced the teenager into an SUV and drove off. The SUV was found several miles south of her mobile home park. The body was found a few miles farther away.

A $30,000 reward remains in place for information related to the kidnapping.

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