Mom finds kidnapped daughter six years later (Philly said baby had died)

[underpants]

This was on the Today Show this morning and it is quite amazing. The fire officials and coroner seemed convinced that the child has been COMPLETELY consumed in the '97 fire.



Philadelphia officials had ruled infant died in 1997 fire

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- A fire that authorities six years ago thought killed a 10-day-old girl was a ruse to kidnap the infant, Philadelphia police said Monday.

The baby, Delimar Vera, was sleeping in the upstairs front bedroom when a fire broke out at her family's two-story row house in north Philadelphia on December 15, 1997.

Luz Cuevas, her mother, could not find Delimar when she ran into the room. She eventually ran out of the house, overcome by smoke and burned on her face. Her two other children also survived, police said.
]
Remains of the infant's body were never found, and police concluded they had been incinerated in the flames.

In January, she attended a birthday party for the child of an acquaintance and was struck by the resemblance of a 6-year-old girl to herself and her other children.

Police say Carolyn Correa, 41, a resident of Willingboro, New Jersey, a Philadelphia suburb, started the fire and kidnapped Delimar, whom she passed off as her own daughter.

[Drifter]

1. What an incredible story ...

too bad investigators were not able to identify the situation from the beginning.

Cheers
Drifter

[underpants]

2. Yeah they just assumed that the child was completely gone

I know the image of that is horrible in and of itself but isn't there usually SOMETHING remaining? Traces? Or did they just not want to go to that length to make sure?

I don't think any criticism should be thrown (from highhorses) about the mother not saving the child to begin with. The video they showed this morning made it look as though this was one horrible and quick fire.

[demnan]

3. Yeah

Especially since the child had already been removed by that time anyway.

Don't people in a neighboorhood question when a woman "suddenly" has an infant? I mean adoption takes a long time.

[jackie867]

4. and the article...

says she looked for the infant until she was over come by smoke and burns on her face and had to run out of the house...obviously she couldn't find the child because the abductor had already removed the baby...the mother and her two older children could easily have been killed trying to find the baby who had already been stolen...

[newyawker99]

13. Hi jackie867!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[underpants]

6. Different neighborhood? Moved?

I am guessing from the article that this distant relative and the actual mother had not crossed paths for 6 years, we now know why. Maybe the adbuctor felt that the "coast was clear" adn she could risk being at a party with the actual mother now.

Motherly instincts are somehthing else.

I don't know why someone wouldn't realize that it was strange that she suddenly had a baby and no one in the family put the two together. Perhaps the trauma of the supposed loss and the absurdity of this happening covered for a lot.

Strange indeed.

[malachi]

10. Kidnapper lives in NJ.

TV news reported that kidnapper was pregnant around the time as the fire and are looking into the whereabouts of the kidnappers fetus.

[underpants]

11. Uggh!

But that would explain her story of suddenly having a baby. She WAS pregnant.

[PaDUer]

5. url?

transcript?

[underpants]

7. Link (sorry)

http://edition.cnn.com/2004/US/Northeast/03/01/girl.found.alive/

I could have sworn I put it on there to start with. :shrug:

[chelaque liberal]

8. What about the father?

The kidnapper was described (on the Today Show) as a friend of the father. The mother last saw this woman just before the fire when she left with the baby's father, yet the father wasn't mentioned.

Sad story.

[chimpy the poopthrower]

9. The linked article describes it differently.

"Cuevas told police that Correa was a distant friend of a cousin of the baby's father, from whom she has separated."

Being a "distant friend of a cousin of the baby's father" is not quite the same as being a friend of the father.


What caught my eye is this -- the article said Correa left three other children behind. I hope police are making sure these kids weren't also abducted.

I also wonder how easy it will be for the girl to adjust to having a "new" Mommy (and possibly a "new" name) all of a sudden. She's going to need plenty of counseling. The whole family is.

[Sparkle]

12. What an incredible story!