Andrea Michelle Reyes, Kidnapped as Toddler, Found 25 Years Later

A woman who was abducted as a toddler 25 years ago has been found.

Andrea Michelle Reyes was 23 months old when she was reported missing in 1999 in New Haven, Conn. But thanks partially to new DNA technology, the now 27-year-old has been found after her mom Rosa Tenorio allegedly took her and fled the country, according to authorities.

In a March 5 statement, the New Haven Police Department said investigators located Andrea in Puebla, a city in central Mexico. They were able to do so after a Special Victim’s Unit with a focus on missing persons re-opened her cold case in 2023.

With the help of interviews, search warrants and social media, a detective determined that Andrea, whose mother never had custody of her and who was in the care of her dad when she went missing, “had been taken by Rosa to Mexico and was residing in Puebla, a city of over a million people,” per police.

The detective was able to establish contact with Andrea and, in partnership with the DNA testing company Othram, “confirm the relationship between father and daughter, leading to Andrea and her father being in contact for the first time in over 20 years,” according to authorities.

The identity of Andrea’s father has not been revealed. The police said he has requested that his anonymity be respected.

Before the case went cold, Andrea’s dad “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.

A felony warrant for custodial interference was issued for Andrea’s mother in 2009, according to the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Missing and Unidentified Persons System.

“The arrest warrant for Rosa Tenorio remains active but is only valid within the United States,” the New Haven Police Department said in their statement. “She is suspected to still reside in Mexico.”