An investigator with the New Haven Police Department in Connecticut in 2023 reopened the case of toddler believed abducted by her non-custodial mother 25 years ago and found the now-27-year-old woman living in Mexico.
New Haven Police said Andrea Reyes was almost 2 when her mother, Rosa Tenorio, took her and fled in 1999. A felony arrest warrant was issued for Tenorio, who was believed to have taken the little girl to Mexico.
“Andrea’s father did not have any contact with Rosa or his daughter, despite going to Mexico himself several times to look for her in person,” police said in a statement.
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.
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[Featured image: Andrea Reyes/National Center for Missing and Exploited Children]
