More than two decades after being abducted from Connecticut by her non-custodial mother, Andrea Reyes has been identified and reunited with her father through advanced DNA technology. 

Reyes, now 27, was just 23 months old when she was taken from New Haven, Connecticut in October 1999. The breakthrough in the case came after the New Haven Police Department reopened the investigation in 2023, working closely with forensic genealogy company Othram Labs.

The company announced the DNA match on March 4, 2025. New Haven police will hold a press conference to share updates about the case and ongoing investigation.

1999 Andrea Reyes Abduction

According to authorities, Andrea Michelle Reyes was abducted by her mother, Rosa Tenorio, who did not have custody. Tenorio allegedly fled the country with Andrea, taking her to Puebla, Mexico, a city of more than 1.5 million people southeast of Mexico City. At the time of the abduction, a felony warrant for Custodial Interference was issued for Tenorio.

Andrea’s father, whose name is being withheld, searched for years with no word from Tenorio or his daughter. 

The New Haven Police Department, along with other agencies, kept the case open and entered Andrea into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs). Multiple age-progressed images were created over the years in hopes someone would recognize her.

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Technology Solves Longtime Mystery

In 2023, the department’s Special Victims Unit revisited cold cases and prioritized the Reyes abduction. 

With help from Othram Labs through their Project 525 initiative, and collaboration with RTI International (which manages NamUs), a DNA comparison was performed between Andrea and the man believed to be her father. The results confirmed a match.

"Detective Nivakoff 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 twenty years,” police said in a news release.

Years of Leads and Age-Progressed Images

Over the years, police had released age-progressed images of Andrea in 2011, 2013, and 2020 through the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Investigators eventually used interviews, search warrants, and social media tools to locate her in Puebla, Mexico.

Andrea Reyes' case marks the seventh time that Connecticut officials have solved a missing person's case using Othram's technology.

A felony arrest warrant remains active for Tenorio, who is still believed to be living in Mexico. While the warrant is valid in the United States, extradition remains a complex legal process.

Ongoing Commitment to Cold Cases

New Haven Police Chief Karl Jacobson praised the efforts of his team, saying: “While cases may have investigative leads exhausted at the time, no cold case is ever truly closed. We remain committed to resolving every cold case, and this is a perfect example of that effort.”

For more on Andrea Reyes’ case and other investigations in Connecticut, visit DNASolves.