Missing Connecticut girl found alive 25 years after kidnapping with help from DNA testing

close Video

New Haven police find missing girl in Mexico after she was abducted in 1999

Connecticut police have located a New Haven girl — now a woman — who went missing 25 years ago, when she was just 2 years old.

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.

MAN DESCRIBES SHOCKING LIVING CONDITIONS HE ENDURED DURING 20-YEAR HOME CAPTIVITY: ‘UNIMAGINABLE’

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.”

CONNECTICUT TO AWARD NEARLY $6M TO FAMILY OF DISABLED MAN WRONGFULLY IMPRISONED FOR MURDER CONVICTION

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.

BIDEN CLEMENCY FOR ‘NON-VIOLENT’ INMATES INCLUDES CONNECTICUT CHILD KILLER

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.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

 “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.

Audrey Conklin is a digital reporter for Fox News Digital and FOX Business. Email tips to audrey.conklin@fox.com or on Twitter at @audpants.