Truth is stranger than fiction. "I could never make contact because there was always a machine or something," he said. Correa went because she and Evelyn Vera are cousins who grew up like sisters. display: none; Where had she been? Zucker, Correa's attorney, said he, too, wants to find her. "Even when there's truth, people remember events in different ways," he said. She made headlines early in 2004, when her natural mother unexpectedly found her and was able to reclaim her. Correa's daughter, Angelica, 17, said she had been away from home that weekend visiting her father and had not been there for the birth, but a family friend went over to help Correa. In 2001, Correa had a baby with her current husband, Bryan Busardo. Boo-Ya! As she drove off, Vera waved goodbye. She always told me she had a feeling she was still alive," Santiago said. State registrar Joseph Komosinski said Correa didn't need to present a baby, only an affidavit from the local registrar's office. Are flights to Gran Canaria still flying? She says she recognized the child on her dimples. Vera's attorney, Michael Luber, said his client desperately wants to be involved in his long-lost child's life but has been "blatantly refused and ignored." Correa, charged with kidnapping and arson, apparently gave birth to a baby at her home three days before the 1997 fire. The fire was discovered shortly after Correa left the house, McDevitt said. It's wrong to focus on the victim. ''Not that I didn't believe her,'' he said. Pedro Vera visits as much as he wants, though he said he has to call first. "I think it was a coincidence. . With her face splashed on TVs and newspapers across the world, Cuevas has retained an entertainment lawyer because at least 25 producers are trying to buy the rights to her story. Why would she want to hire an investigator? After Correa took the girl, she raised her as her own daughter under the name of Aaliyah, while Delimar's disappearance was attributed to the intense fire in the room. During a chat, Cuevas confessed that she always had a feeling that Delimar was alive. The fire was believed to have been caused by a homemade extension cord attached to a space heater near Delimar's crib. Correa brought a 5-year-old girl she introduced as her daughter, Aaliyah. "They both thought Carolyn had the baby, but they didn't do anything. She is being held in Philadelphia on $1 million bail. faylene grant Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. And in a way,she had. She had returned the following night ostensibly to retrieve her purse from an upstairs bedroom. Even though years had passed Luz was sure that the child before her, was her real daughter. Aaliyah had bubblegum stuck in her hair, and Luz offered to fix it, remembering a crime show shed watched where hair had been collected as a DNA sample. Though Delimar's body was never found, Ms. Cuevas assumed that the infant died in the fire. Zucker is unclear about which legal strategy he will use for Correa, although he's considering an insanity defense. Defense lawyers argued that Correa suffered from a psychotic condition in which women believe they are pregnant (search), and came to believe the baby was hers. Several days after the Jan. 24 party, Ms. Cuevas went to the office of State Representative Angel Cruz, a Democrat of Philadelphia, and told him her story. Cuevas said that, convinced the child was Delimar, she told the girl that she had gum in her hair and yanked a few strands. She always told me she had a feeling she was still alive," Santiago said. wiac "I didn't see any baby with her," he said, speaking in Spanish. Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. Cuevas was invited because her son, Samuel, is the nephew of Evelyn Vera. Cuevas suffered burns on her face and ears and was taken to Temple University Hospital for treatment. Police say she stole and cashed company checks and was trying to destroy evidence. The woman, Carolyn Correa, turned herself in at a Philadelphia police station just one day after the authorities publicized the case and issued an alert for her arrest. Last edited on 25 September 2022, at 22:04, Murders of Lauria Bible and Ashley Freeman, "Mom finds kidnapped daughter six years later", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Little_Girl_Lost:_The_Delimar_Vera_Story&oldid=1112345259, This page was last edited on 25 September 2022, at 22:04. Cuevas had spotted the girl. The DNA results proved that Delimar was indeed Luz's daughter. She raced up the steps and discovered a fire in the corner of the front bedroom and attempted to fight through flames to find the infant. PHILADELPHIA A woman convicted of kidnapping an infant during a fire, then raising the girl as her own for years, was sentenced Friday to nine to 30 years in prison. Toggle Comments, Kick Off the Holidays with Red Bluff Art Walk | A News Cafe dot com Both Vera and Cuevas, who split up after having a second child together, have sued city officials for their handling of the baby's disappearance. he said he asked. Correa. the haunting of molly hartley In that case, she pleaded guilty to setting a fire in 1996 at a medical office in Hamilton Township where she worked as a file clerk. 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It had been a house fire. In fact, they say, Correa brought the little girl to several family functions that Cuevas and Vera, her former live-in boyfriend, attended over the years. ". I would be really surprised if this doesn't take some toll on her.". TV coverage from that night shows Correa at the scene, standing near the ambulance with Cuevas. Meanwhile, Correa continues to wonder where her baby is, said Puchales, her best friend. The test would prove her instinct was right. "I loved her as my own. She said his house was on fire and firefighters had rescued everyone _ but his baby was missing. Pedro Vera visits as much as he wants, though he said he has to call first. Zucker, Correa's attorney, said Correa was having an affair with Vera around the time of the fire. Teresa Santiago, who rented an apartment to Vera and Cuevas about five years ago, said the couple often talked about the daughter they believed hadn't died. 2004 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. I think something must have happened to make her do this," she said. Delimar was her daughter, and she had died at just 10 days old. Cuevas was invited because her son, Samuel, is the nephew of Evelyn Vera. I question how the child arrived at the party. Before the results of the DNA tests were in, officials placed the child in New Jersey state custody. Vera admits seeing the girl at a baby shower for his niece four years ago. "It's a mystery. Judge Pamela Dembe (search) said she had concluded that while Correa suffered from some depression, she was more manipulative than delusional. The girl Delimar Vera is all grown up today and by all accounts seems to be fine. The film tells the true story of a six-year-old girl named Tella who is removed from the loving care of her foster parents the Bradys and returned to her biological father, who sexually assaults her. Why? advocates for a healthy discussion about the instances of violence, abuse, sexual misconduct, animal cruelty, abuse etc. blondynka w koszarach } else if ( host.indexOf("edition.") She remains a fugitive from multiple arrest warrants on charges that include arson, kidnapping and concealing the whereabouts of a child. Zucker asked. A six-year-old girl, who was believed to have died as a baby in a house fire in 2004, was kidnapped, finally reunited with her mother, who spotted her at a birthday party. oregon jerseys " Farson said. Market data provided by Factset. Teresa Santiago, who rented an apartment to Vera and Cuevas about five years ago, said the couple often talked about the daughter they believed hadn't died. "He suspected some lady sort of close to the family took the child. Police have said that they are looking into the possibility that Correa may have had an accomplice, but they would not elaborate. Delimar Vera Little Girl Lost - Delimar Vera Story Evelyn Vera asked. She was at a children's birthday party when she observed that one of the kids' dimples were similar to hers. Free Pumpkin Carving Patterns "It seemed like a 5-foot wall of flames came at me," he said. Jesus Nieves, who worked with Vera at the Dollar Tree said that Vera told him that he thought his baby was not dead, but had been taken. We collect and tell stories of people from all around the world. The 10 Sexiest Celebrity Halloween Costumes All rights reserved. To complicate this bizarre tale, Correa, charged with kidnapping and arson, apparently gave birth to a baby at her home three days before the 1997 fire. #inline-recirc-item--id-9300466e-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d ~ .item:nth-child(5) { The friend has since moved and could not be reached. The official cause of the fire was listed as an overheated extension cord attached to a space heater. "He suspected some lady sort of close to the family took the child. Neighbors tried to stop Cuevas, but she burst into the house looking for her baby. Toggle Comments. halloween "The early indication from everybody who had any contact with these people is that she took great care of this kid," Zucker said. daylight savings 2009 a neighbor yelled to him. In 2004 Aaliyah was returned to her birth mother, who shed never known, and renamed Delimar. Newcastle city centre. } Before the party, Ms. Cuevas had last seen her daughter the evening of Dec. 15, 1997, when a fire broke out on the second floor of her Philadelphia home, while her daughter was sleeping. A woman who police officials said kidnapped a newborn six years ago, set fire to the mother's house to make her believe that the baby girl had died in the blaze, and then raised the child as her own, surrendered to authorities on Tuesday. In 1997, Luz's 10-day-old baby Delimar Vera was sleeping in the upstairs front bedroom when a fire broke out at her family's house in Philadelphia. Vera pulled up after the Fire Department arrived with a shocked, grief-stricken look on his face, Farson said. He told the Philadelphia Daily News that Correa came to his house about 4:30 p.m. and told him she could help hook him up with a telephone job. Plus go in the chance to win $50? It turned out to be congealed portions of a mattress and other debris. "Carol told me she'd seen Luzaida a lot over the years when she had Aaliyah with her, when Carol was in Philly with her family and friends," Mary Lou Puchales said. "Pedro gave me the baby," Correa, 43, of Willingboro, N.J., told the judge. But the crib was empty. Correa briefly apologized in court Friday for "the confusion" she caused the two families. "People don't remember things exactly the same. Delimar Vera was born at 5:45 p.m. Dec 5, 1997 at Temple University Hospital. Officials attributed the blaze to an extension cord that overheated while connected to a space heater. Cuevas saw the girl's smile and said she had the same dimple Delimar had as a baby. Zucker is unclear about which legal strategy he will use for Correa, although he's considering an insanity defense. The girl, Delimar Vera (search), now 7, was reunited with her parents in March 2004, after Cuevas' suspicions led to DNA testing that proved the child's identity. Farson said the neighbor told him that Cuevas' two older children and the baby were in the care of their grandmother while Cuevas was out looking for work and Vera was elsewhere. Movie Info. Where is Delimar Vera now? She came out in tears. Her accounts differ from those of Vera, fire officials, neighbors, friends and relatives. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Prosecutor Leslie Gomez said there is not enough evidence to make a case against anyone else. Correa's daughter Angela, 17 said she had been away from home that weekend visiting her father and had not been there for the birth, but a family friend went over to help Correa. In court, Carolyn Correa (search) publicly accused birth father Pedro Vera of helping her commit the crime, a charge he denied after the hearing. In court, Carolyn Correa (search) publicly accused birth father Pedro Vera of helping her commit the crime, a charge he denied after the hearing. Luz called the little girl over, who looked like her siblings and wore an expression Luz recognised as her own. "Nothing adds up," said Andre Moore, who was Correa's boyfriend at the time and who believed then that he was Aaliyah's father. The police reported that Delimar was killed in the fire. I thought for six years Aaliyah was my baby. Ms. Correa, 42, of Willingboro, N.J., is a cousin of Ms. Cuevas. Can you ask Aaliyah to take the last pictures to keep for memories?" "The baby's room is on fire! Cuevas and Pennsylvania Rep. Angel Cruz, who first took her story to authorities last month, declined several requests for interviews on the discrepancies. "Mary Lou, I've got some film in the car. The girl bears a resemblance to Cuevas and she suspects it is Delimar. "She says that now to make her look good," he said. Correa faces a preliminary hearing Friday on charges that she kidnapped 10-day-old Delimar Vera from her Philadelphia crib six years ago, then set the house on fire to cover the crime. Vera said he tried to contact authorities. Correa obtained a birth certificate for Aaliyah on Jan. 6, 1998. The investigators used the hair sample last week to match the girl's DNA with Ms. Cuevas's, proving that the girl was her child. December 2, 2000Gail Fisher / Date of death. The film depicts the struggle of Luz Cuevas (Judy Reyes) to find her baby daughter, Delimar Vera Cuevas, who disappeared in 1997 after their house caught fire during a party, just ten days after she was born. The test proved he is not her father. Six years later, in January 2004, Cuevas attended a birthday party for an acquaintance and was surprised by her own resemblance to a 6-year-old girl. (Guess he hasnt seen the game tapes), US Supreme Court refuses to block Florida execution of Donald Dillbeck, Red-hot USF women close out home schedule with explosive offensive showing. On the evening of December 15, 1997, a fire broke out on the second storey of their family home in Philadelphia. Vera adamantly denies this. Cuevas said she saw Delimar, now 6, and Correa for the first time since the Dec. 15, 1997, fire at a party two months ago, when in fact Cuevas wasn't there, partygoers said. verizon iphone "To me she's the perfect mother," Puchales said. After the fire, Cuevas and Vera moved several times, and they had a baby, Samuel, four years ago. Carolyn Correa - the kidnapping a Delimar Vega - 4fd89c01cc2e Police say they cannot fully explain why Delimar was declared killed. 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. On December 15, 1997, Correa deliberately ignited a fire in Cuevas' house in Philadelphia to cover up the incident. } Investigators believe there was a second person because the child disappeared from an upstairs crib while Correa was apparently downstairs with Cuevas. document.write('Tuesday, March 2, 2004 Posted: 8:19 AM EST (1319 GMT)
<\/span>'); Those who know Correa, Cuevas and Vera are shaking their heads, wondering what's fact and what's soap-opera-style fiction. Father guilty of killing 9 of his children, Security alert issued for 40 million credit cards. Tagged: delimar vera wiki Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts. "We're happy now. Representative Cruz said that as unbelievable as the story sounded now, before the benefit of the DNA results it was only Ms. Cuevas's determination and persistence that kept him from nicely ushering her out of his office. "There's got to be more to the story than is on the surface. The girl kept looking at Vera. Why?" Yet relatives say the parents always knew where Correa lived, 15 miles away in New Jersey. Vera was not home at the time. "To me she's the perfect mother," Puchales said. Free Top Online Radio Stations Airdate: 8-10 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 17 (Lifetime Movie Network).