Connecticut
Missing Connecticut girl found alive 25 years after kidnapping with help from DNA testing
Connecticut police have located a New Haven girl — now a woman — who went missing 25 years ago, when she was just 2 years old.
Andrea Reyes, 27, was abducted in October 1999 by her non-custodial, biological mother, Rosa Tenorio, who brought her to Mexico.
“Thank you for sharing in our joy in finding our daughter Andrea. After 25 years, God has answered our prayers and blessed us with a chance to know her again,” Andrea’s stepmother said in an emotional statement during a March 12 press conference with the New Haven Police Department. “We recognize that this reacquaintance will have challenges, however, we are confident that God is building the path before us and leading our steps.”
Andrea’s father went on several trips to Mexico himself over the years to find his daughter, police said during the press conference.
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Andrea Reyes, now 27, was abducted in October 1999 by her non-custodial, biological mother, Rosa Tenorio, who brought her to Mexico. (NCMEC)
Andrea’s father and stepmother thanked law enforcement and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). Her stepmother also said DNA technology helped law enforcement develop a lead that ultimately led them to Andrea, who currently lives in Mexico.
She added that they “do not lose sight for those families waiting for their loved ones to be found.”
“We keep you in our prayers, hoping for the day that you, too, can be reunited with your loved ones,” Andrea’s stepmother said. “As we establish new connections over these days and months, we ask for your prayers and respect for our privacy. We hope that our good news will one day be your good news.”
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NCMEC’s age-progression photo image of Andrea Reyes. (NCMEC)
Mexican authorities apparently identified Reyes and her mother in 2000, but “it was advised that the Government of Mexico would not take further action to remove Andrea from her mother,” New Haven PD Sgt. John Moore said during the press conference.
Andrea apparently contacted the man she believed to be her father in 2023, when Det. Kealyn Nivakoff with the New Haven Police Department began to re-investigate the case. To confirm her identity, New Haven police partnered with forensic genetic genealogy research company Othram, which ultimately confirmed a father-daughter relationship between Andrea and her father.
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Family abductions are the second-most common type of child abduction in the United States, according to NCMEC.
Andrea Reyes’ father speaks during a March 12 press conference about finding his missing daughter after 25 years. (Facebook/ New Haven PF)
In 2023, NCMEC received 1,185 family abduction cases and 59% of all AMBER Alerts that were issued were for family abductions.
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“One of the biggest misconceptions about family abduction cases is that the children are safe and ‘not really missing’ because they’re with a parent,” Angeline Hartmann, director of communications at NCMEC, said in a statement. “At NCMEC, we know that there is a lot of emotion behind these cases, and these scenarios can be unpredictable and dangerous. These children ARE missing and living a life on the run with their kidnapper. They’re forced to lie about who they are and are often isolated. The recent recoveries of Andrea Reyes and Aziz Khan remind everyone that these kids can be found, no matter how long they’ve been gone.”
An arrest warrant for Tenorio remains active.
Connecticut
One arrested after a multi-car crash in Naugatuck Saturday
Naugatuck Police say one person has been arrested after a multi-car accident on Route 63 Saturday afternoon.
According to police, they responded to the area of Route 63 and Cherry Street around 1 p.m. for reports of a collision with injuries.
They say a 30-year-old man from Waterbury was arrested and charged with operating under the influence of drugs/alcohol, operating under the influence with a child passenger, illegal possession of prescription drugs, failure to keep narcotics in the original container, risk of injury to a child and distracted driving.
Police say he is being held on a $10,000 Surety Bond.
This is all the information at this time.
Connecticut
Overnight Forecast for April 19
Connecticut
Woman killed in Friday head-on crash in Burlington
BURLINGTON, Conn. (WTNH) — A woman is dead after police said she was involved in a head-on collision with a tractor-trailer on Friday in Burlington.
According to Connecticut State Police, a Toyota RAV4 and Peterbuilt 386 tractor-trailer collided head-on on Route 4 near Punch Brook Road at around 4:49 p.m. on Friday.
The driver of the Toyota, identified as 64-year-old Mary Christine Ferland of Burlington, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the tractor-trailer was not injured, according to state police. No one else was in either vehicle at the time of the crash.
The crash is still under investigation by state police, anyone with information is asked to call Trooper Brew at 860-626-7900.
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