//-->. != -1 ) { Firefighters removed a small yellow package with what they thought were Delimar's remains. It turned out to be congealed portions of a mattress and other debris. When Luz saw the little girl at the birthday party, she was beside herself. 2009-10-30 @ Festival 8. Judge Pamela Dembe (search) said she had concluded that while Correa suffered from some depression, she was more manipulative than delusional. She eventually ran out of the house, overcome by smoke and burned on her face. She took her for all kinds of stuff. However, she spotted the child in the most surprising circumstances six years later. . The fire was believed to have been caused by a homemade extension cord attached to a space heater near Delimar's crib. But retired fire Marshal Vincent Heeney said that he had her repeat her story three times, including once to a Spanish-speaking firefighter. Delimar Vera was born on December 5, 1997 to parents Luz Cuevas & Pedro Vera. "There's got to be more to the story than is on the surface. Neighbors tried to stop Cuevas, but she burst into the house looking for her baby. Cuevas had spotted the girl at a Vera family birthday party Vera and Correa are related by marriage. Toggle Comments, Kick Off the Holidays with Red Bluff Art Walk | A News Cafe dot com 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. Correa introduced the girl as her daughter. In 1997, the child, Delimar Vera, was thought to have died in a house fire when she was only ten days old. torihamion 12:33 pm on November 2, 2009 Permalink | Reply Tags: carolyn correa ( 6 ), delimar vera, delimar vera story ( 2 ), delimar vera update ( 4 ), delimar vera where is she now ( 6 ), delimar vera wiki ( 6 ) She barely spoke English, and had no connection in the institutional world where DNA tests are done. Zucker is unclear about which legal strategy he will use for Correa, although he's considering an insanity defense. Pocket Casts RadioPublic Spotify Delimar Vera - Missing Crime Over Coffee Feb 04, 2022 00:00 21:44 Christi Flynn - Attacked In 1991, Christi Flynn was attacked by three men when leaving a bar in Sulpher Springs, Arkansas. . She chopped off five strands and carefully placed them in a napkin. Delimar had been sleeping. "Nothing adds up," said Andre Moore, who was Correa's boyfriend at the time and who believed then that he was Aaliyah's father. She said she also approached an attorney to investigate, but couldn't afford his $100-an-hour fee. What does it mean when someone writes in capital letters? Days later, she surrendered to authorities. With Judy Reyes, Ana Ortiz, Hector Luis Bustamante, Marlene Forte. }else { Correa obtained a birth certificate for Aaliyah on Jan. 6, 1998. 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. Officials attributed the blaze to an extension cord that overheated while connected to a space heater. Unfamiliarity isn't the only hurdle to clear: Delimar doesn't speak Spanish, and her mother speaks very little English. But the crib was empty. "I told her, "Look, I have a feeling that that girl is ours,' " he said. " 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. } Vera arrived as Correa and Aaliyah were leaving. 2004 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. She had seen the child every day since, and she did not change in appearance, Angelica said. At 42, Carolyn was charged with kidnapping, arson, and concealing the whereabouts of a child. The judge found the sentiment far short of any acceptance of the magnitude of her crime. Except she wasnt Aaliyah. Ms. Cuevas, 31, of Philadelphia, had last seen her daughter, whom she named Delimar Vera, when the girl was 10 days old. Correa was arrested in 2004 and taken to trial, having been placed on $1 million bail. Correa was with the baby Angelica knew from then on as Aaliyah. December 2, 2000Gail Fisher / Date of death. I don't know. We raise awareness about these issues to help potential victims seek professional counseling and prevent anyone from getting hurt. Correa briefly apologized in court Friday for "the confusion" she caused the two families. The five-year-old girl Luz had encountered at a birthday party was indeed her daughter. The medical examiner's office went back to the scene two more times, once with a forensic anthropologist, but no remains were found. Where is Delimar Vera now? 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. display: block; Cuevas saw the girl's smile and said she had the same dimple Delimar had as a baby. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Carolyn Correa apparently gave birth seven days later, at 2:33 p.m. Dec 12 in her modest four bedroom yellow frame home in Willingboro. Delimar Vera was born at 5:45 p.m. Dec. 5, 1997, at Temple University Hospital. I just sat there and sprayed the hose as much as I could. However, Cuevas suspects that she was kidnapped and that the fire was staged by an outsider. Cuevas stayed home with Samuel and her two older children, Wilfredo, 11, and Israel, 10. Vera was not invited to join Monday night's celebration. Little Girl Lost: The Delimar Vera Story | FAQGO.com- breaking, Dexter Season 4 Episode 6 / Watch Dexter If I Had a Hammer, Kidnapping Victims Found Alive |Newsflavor, Kick Off the Holidays with Red Bluff Art Walk, Carolyn Correa the kidnapping a Delimar Vega 4fd89c01cc2e, Boo-Ya! Correa became eligible for parole in 2014. Cuevas was invited because her son, Samuel, is the nephew of Evelyn Vera. It's unclear what jobs, if any, Cuevas has had. faylene grant Cuevas and Vera split up in December 2002. Follow. ''Not that I didn't believe her,'' he said. Delimar was thought to have perished in the fire, despite Cuevas and her other children making it out alive. when do we set clocks back 2009 During their first meeting, Delimar, who is now 6, was hiding under a table when her parents walked into the room, according to Anthony Cianfrani, another attorney for Cuevas. "People don't remember things exactly the same. "I told her, "Look, I have a feeling that that girl is ours,' " he said. " During a recent prison visit, Correa asked Puchales for a favor. That was just two weeks after a DNA test confirmed her hunch that the little girl introduced to her at a birthday party as Aaliyah Hernandez was the daughter she thought had died in a fire when she was only ten days old. Vera worked as a car mechanic and as a stock boy for about two years at a Dollar Tree. Vera said he tried to contact authorities. 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. Officers at the time found bone fragments they thought were the baby's remains, but tests later showed them to be nonhuman, McDevitt said. She faces a new family environment with complicated new relationships. 2,870 followers. And representatives of TV interview shows from Oprah to Dateline are seeking to line up guests who'll talk about the story. Cruz obtained hair samples from both Luz and the child and took them to the police for DNA analysis along with Luz's accusation that Carolyn Correa had stolen her baby and set the house on fire to cover the kidnapping. 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. The officers sifted through the debris but found mostly dry wool particles, which they were told resemble human ashes, but only those burned at 1,000 degrees for an hour or longer, McDevitt said. "She didn't believe her baby was dead," Thomas said. Six years after the fire incident, Cuevas saw something spectacular. meb keflezighi wiki Now I'm trying to figure out the method behind the madness.". Plus go in the chance to win $50? 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. Zucker, Correa's attorney, is baffled by all the conflicting information. She remains a fugitive from multiple arrest warrants on charges that include arson, kidnapping and concealing the whereabouts of a child. 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. In 2001, Correa had a baby with her current husband, Bryan Busardo. After the DNA results came out, Carolyn Correa, a woman posing as Delimar's mom, was arrested and charged with arson, assault, and kidnapping. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Kidnapping Victims Found Alive | Newsflavor She always told me she had a feeling she was still alive," Santiago said. 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. I truly believed she was mine.". On December 15, 1997, Correa deliberately ignited a fire in Cuevas' house in Philadelphia to cover up the incident. Cuevas had spotted the girl. 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. They ended up at a cousin's house when Correa told him that she had forgotten her purse at his house, and she left to retrieve it. Delimar had been sleeping. Delimar is in a New Jersey foster home, but she should be living permanently with Cuevas by Monday evening according to a plan approved by a judge. "I hear everyone saying that both had suspicions all along about who took their baby, and my question is: Why didn't they do anything?" Carrying two bags of toys and wearing a smile, it was Pedro Vera's turn Tuesday to spend time with the 6-year-old girl a DNA test has proved is his daughter. "I knew I wasn't going in. 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. The girl is now in a New Jersey foster home and is receiving counseling, learning that the only mother she has known is a fraud, said Andy Williams, a spokesman for the New Jersey Division of Youth and Family Services. The authorities said Ms. Correa was at Ms. Cuevas's house when the fire broke out. As it turns out, she didn't need an investigator. ", Florida migrant flights lawsuit dismissed in wake of Legislature passing law, Editorial Cartoons for Thursday from Times Wire Services, Bucs new coordinator is confident! document.write('Tuesday, March 2, 2004 Posted: 1319 GMT <\/span>'); Pedro Vera had wanted to be present at the Monday reunion, but he and Cuevas are no longer a couple. Her husband, Pedro Vera (Hector Luis Bustamante), becomes estranged from her as a result. "She knows she's never going to see Aaliyah again. At this point, I really don't know what it is," he said. / CBS/AP. In the probable-cause affidavit and in interviews, Cuevas said that while Correa was visiting, she heard an explosion from upstairs. Even though years had passed Luz was sure that the child before her, was her real daughter. 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. And in a way,she had. ''Mother intuition can never go wrong,'' he said. "They've grown up in a family they think is their own, they have a home and school and friends, and suddenly everything they believe about their life is suddenly turned upside down.". My daughter!' It had been a house fire. She reported giving birth at home, listing herself as the attendant. Evelyn Vera and her daughters wonder why her brother and Cuevas didn't do more. "The early indication from everybody who had any contact with these people is that she took great care of this kid," Zucker said. When Luz ran into her newborns bedroomshe was nowhere to be found. He called Correa's charges against him "crazy things that she's talking about.". Meanwhile, Correa continues to wonder where her baby is, said Puchales, her best friend. That's something I need to ask Pedro and her. Cuevas, who speaks halting English, contends she repeatedly told firefighters that Delimar was not in the room and was missing. The next day he called Cuevas to tell her he suspected that the girl called Aaliyah was their Delimar. Her accounts differ from those of Vera, fire officials, neighbors, friends and relatives. The girl, who had a heart defect, died a few hours after birth, Zucker said. Correa, a mother of three, told Puchales that she, along with Pedro Vera, then took her baby to a friend's house and returned around midnight to pick her up. "I knew I wasn't going in. If someone's a victim, why ask if they should have caught it sooner?". "I think it was a coincidence. She had returned the following night ostensibly to retrieve her purse from an upstairs bedroom. or redistributed. 139 Delimar Vera Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images Images Creative Editorial Video Creative Editorial FILTERS CREATIVE EDITORIAL VIDEO 139 Delimar Vera Premium High Res Photos Browse 139 delimar vera stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. This much is known: Luzaida Cuevas is Delimar's biological mother, not Carolyn Correa, who raised her as her own. As she drove off, Vera waved goodbye. Behind the heart-tugging saga of Delimar Vera, the little girl who rose miraculously from the ashes, is a sordid web of contradictions, deceptions and secrets. The test proved he is not her father. I would be really surprised if this doesn't take some toll on her.". How did the child come to be at the friend's party. daylight savings time "To me she's the perfect mother," Puchales said. Each time, she insisted her baby was in the room, he said. david pollock carlton banks December 9, 2022 1 Min Read. Anthony Cianfrani, one of Cuevas' attorneys, said, "This is all news to me. Investigators believe there was a second person because the child disappeared from an upstairs crib while Correa was apparently downstairs with Cuevas. Justin Soto ended up eventually pleading guilty to first-degree murder which will cause him to spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole. It is not known when the girl and Ms. Cuevas will be reunited, Mr. Williams said. He felt like the house burned down as a setup for the kid being kidnapped.". The authorities then asked Ms. Correa to submit to two DNA tests at a New Jersey laboratory. 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. Even by Lifetime standards, the original telepic "Little Girl Lost: The Delimar Vera Story" (which actually premieres on the companion. I had to pull things from her because she had feelings of hopelessness and looked and acted like she was emotionally and physically exhausted. Listen in as Abby and Ericka discuss her story. Why?" In January 2003, Pedro Vera's sister, Evelyn, hosted a birthday party for her granddaughter at her Kensington, Pa., home. She was a very good mother. DNA tests confirmed her hunch, and Correa was charged this week. Vera and Cuevas say they suspected that Correa, Vera's cousin by marriage, had snatched Delimar. To prove this, Luz approached the child and on the pretense of removing some bubblegum from her hair, took several strands. 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