A woman who disappeared without a trace as a toddler in 1999 has been found alive more than 25 years later.
Andrea Michelle Reyes at the time of her disappearance. Credit: Othram/NAMUS/New Haven Police Department
Andrea Michelle Reyes was just 23 months old when she went missing from her father’s home in New Haven, Connecticut.
Authorities quickly suspected that her non-custodial mother, Rosa Tenorio Andrea, had taken her.
Later that year, a felony warrant for custodial interference was issued for Tenorio. A second warrant followed in 2009, but despite investigations by multiple agencies, including the New Haven Police Department, Andrea was never found.
Age progression images of Andrea Michelle Reyes. Credit: Othram/NAMUS/New Haven Police Department
For more than two decades, investigators attempted to track Andrea’s whereabouts.
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) listed her as a missing person and even released five age-progression images between 2010 and 2014 to show what she might look like as she grew up.
Still, the case remained cold. Officials believed Tenorio had taken Andrea to Puebla, Mexico, but no trace of them was found.
A woman in Mexico contacted Andrea’s father, believing she might be his long-lost daughter. To confirm the claim, police partnered with Othram, a forensic lab specializing in advanced DNA testing.
Using their KinSNP® Rapid Relationship Testing, a sample from the woman was compared to Andrea’s father’s DNA profile. The results confirmed what many had hoped for – Andrea Reyes, now 27 years old, was indeed the child who had vanished in 1999.
It has not been publicly reported whether authorities have located Rosa Tenorio Andrea. Police have confirmed that an arrest warrant for her non-custodial mother remains active and valid within the United States. They believe the kidnapping suspect is still in Mexico.
Advanced DNA testing helped solve the case. Credit: Westend61 / Getty
Andrea’s case is part of Project 525, a collaboration between Othram and RTI International, which aims to resolve all 525 juvenile missing persons cases listed in NamUs.
Her identification marks a promising milestone for the project, as she is the seventh person in Connecticut to be found using this advanced DNA technology.
New Haven police chief Karl Jacobson said Andrea’s case reflects the hard work of New Haven officers and detectives.
“This case reflects the hard work of our officers and detectives,” he said, per The Guardian. “While cases may have investigative leads exhausted at the time, no cold case is ever truly closed.
“We remain committed to resolving every cold case, and this is a perfect example of that effort,” the police added.
