In 2023, an investigator from the New Haven Police Department in Connecticut decided to reopen a case involving a toddler who had reportedly been abducted by her non-custodial mother 25 years earlier. The investigator’s efforts led to the discovery of the now 27-year-old woman living in Mexico.
The police department revealed that Andrea Reyes was just shy of 2 years old when her mother, Rosa Tenorio, took her and disappeared in 1999. A felony arrest warrant had been issued for Tenorio, who was suspected of fleeing to Mexico with the child.
It was revealed in a statement by the police that Andrea’s father had been unable to establish any contact with Rosa or his daughter, despite making multiple trips to Mexico in a personal quest to find them.
Detective Kealyn Nivakoff with the department’s Special Victim’s Unit began taking a new look at the case two years ago and eventually tracked Reyes to the city of Puebla. DNA confirmed the relationship between her and her father, and they were put in contact for the first time in more than 20 years.
“This case reflects the hard work of our officers and detectives,” New Haven Police Chief Karl Jacobson said. “While cases may have investigative leads exhausted at the time, no cold case is ever truly closed.”
Police are not releasing the identity of Reyes’ father, who asked to remain anonymous. The warrant for Tenorio’s arrest remains valid but only inside the United States. She is believed to be still living in Mexico.
