Journal Chacham's Journal: News: Finds her kidnapped child, whom she believed was dead 7
Fox News has a story entitled "Mother Spots Child Believed Dead at Birthday Party". Wow. It's hard to imagine her emotions. I wonder if i would have acted any differently.
PHILADELPHIA -- A 10-day-old girl thought to have died in a 1997 fire was actually kidnapped by a woman who set the blaze to cover her tracks, police said Monday. The biological mother contacted authorities after seeing the now 6-year-old at a birthday party and recognizing the child as her own.
Delimar Vera (search) was thought to have perished in the 1997 blaze in her family's home, consumed by the heat and flames of a fast-moving fire blamed on an extension cord for a space heater. No body was ever found.
In January, the child's mother spotted a little girl at a birthday party and was certain she was her daughter, police Capt. John Darby said. A subsequent investigation prompted DNA (search) tests that confirmed the mother's suspicion, police said.
After the DNA confirmation, the child's mother "didn't know whether to cry, to yell or to scream," Officer Manuel Gonzales said. "She just stood in shock. She was just in total shock."
Police have issued a warrant for the arrest of Carolyn Correa (search), 41, of Willingboro, N.J., on charges of arson, kidnapping and conspiracy. She remained at large Monday; a telephone listing for her could not be found.
"This child, now 6 years old, who has been raised by Carolyn Correa as her own, is not her own," Darby said.
The girl's mother, Luz Cuevas, told WPHL-TV she recognized the child from a dimple on her face. "I said to my sister, `Look, she's my daughter,"' Cuevas said.
It was unclear what brought the child and her biological mother to the same party. State Rep. Angel Cruz, who helped the woman contact and work with police after she spotted the little girl, credited "motherly instinct" for connecting mother and child.
Ever since the blaze, the mother held on to the belief her child was somehow alive -- partly because it didn't make sense a window in the infant's room was found to have been open even though it was the middle of December, Cruz said.
The little girl was placed in the custody of New Jersey Division of Youth and Family Services (search). It was not immediately clear when she would be reunited with her biological mother
Of course, the worst part is that she doesn't have custody. Shouldn't that be a given?
Nod... (Score:1)
I certainly hope that the child gets returned to her mother. The terrible thing about cases like these is the fact that the mother and daughter have lost those years together, and no amount of punishment will ever make amends for it.
DYFS versus DFYS (Score:2)
I just asked the wife about this, she says it's standard that they didn't release the child to the mother even with DNA testing.
DFYS has to prove that everything is legit before they release the child to anyone. It's they're job to make sure t
Re:DYFS versus DFYS (Score:1)
I think the same can be said about Child and Parents magazine (US versions). Child is "so you have a child, now what". IOW it is for the parent. Parents if for new parents that have a child and want to know how to best care for him. Thus, it is for the child.
Thanx for the points.
Update (Score:1)
Re:Update (Score:2)
Police stated a reason for delay (Score:2)
"It's going to be difficult for the child," Boyle said. "She grew up with a woman, knowing a woman as her mother, but [she] is in fact her kidnapper, so it's going to be a very difficult psychological process or emotional process.
"And that's going to have to be dealt with very delicately by professionals. That would be outside our scope," Bo
Re:Police stated a reason for delay (Score:2)