A reigning beauty queen and her sister went missing just days before she was scheduled to fly to London for the Miss World competition.  TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) — Honduran authorities are holding four people for questioning about the disappearance of Maria Jose Alvarado, Miss Honduras 2014, and her sister four days ago in a city near the Guatemala border. The pair had been celebrating a friend's birthday near their home town of Santa Barbara, where student Alvarado, 19, was spending time with her parents before flying to Britain to represent her country. Pageant director Eduardo Zablah told told CNN affiliate Televicentro that the young women were last seen stepping into a vehicle after the party. Police initially said the disappearance was not being treated as a crime but later confirmed that four people had been arrested and were under questioning, the Telegraph reported. “They include the owner of the party venue and Sofia Trinidad's boyfriend. Alvarado describes herself on a Miss World website profile as an aspiring diplomat who enjoys playing volleyball and football in her spare time. Alvarado, 19, was crowned Miss Honduras in April and is expected to compete in the Miss World Pageant in London next month. "Open your hearts and understand my pain," her mother pleaded Sunday night, the Telegraph reported. "There is an all-powerful God that sees everything, and I hope you set them free." The Miss World contest is slated to start on Thursday and culminate in the crowning of a new winner on Dec. 14.
– Honduran police have apprehended four people in the case of a beauty queen who went missing mere weeks before she was supposed to compete for the Miss World title, the Telegraph reports. Maria Jose Alvarado, the reigning Miss Honduras, hasn't been seen since attending a party in Honduras on Thursday. She went with her sister, Sofia, to celebrate the birthday of her sister's boyfriend at a spa near the town of Santa Barbara, the AP reports. The two women reportedly got in a vehicle afterward and disappeared. Among those under arrest are the sister's boyfriend, Plutarco Ruiz, and the owner of the venue where the party was held. "They are being investigated," says a police chief. The vanishing is a hot topic in Honduras, which the Telegraph calls "notoriously violent" and "home to the most dangerous city on the planet." That city is San Pedro Sula, which logs more than 1,200 murders annually among a population of 1 million. It's also about 30 miles away from Santa Barbara. "Open your hearts and understand my pain," says Alvarado's mother. "There is an all-powerful God that sees everything and I hope you set them free." Alvarado, who was supposed to fly to London Sunday and try on her Miss World dress, says on her pageant profile that she likes playing sports and hopes to be a Honduran diplomat one day, Yahoo reports. (This beauty queen was accused of stealing a $100,000 crown.)