Mexican mother reunites with daughter who disappeared 27 years ago

A Mexican mother has reunited with her daughter 27 years after the latter’s disappearance. A video of the emotional reunion was released on Friday by the Mexico City Prosecutor’s Office. Juana went missing on October 1, 1995, when she was just three years old. “Since then, mother and daughter had to continue their lives on separate paths,” explained prosecutor Ernestina Godoy. Juana grew up under another identity and today goes by the name Rocío.

Juana, who is now 29 years old, saw the missing person’s poster online and suspected she could be the girl in the photo. Authorities did a DNA test to confirm that the women were related. “The result was positive with a genetic coincidence of 99.999%,” said Godoy.

Juana disappeared while the family was walking through Bosque del Chapultepec, an iconic park in Mexico City. Lorena, Juana’s mother, who is now 50 years old, reported the child missing with the Support Center for Missing and Disappeared Persons (Capea). The report included a photo of the minor, her personal details and the last place where she had been seen.

The case received little public attention, a fact that was acknowledged by the Mexico City Prosecutor’s Office. In Mexico, more than 106,200 people are reported missing, according to official figures. The oldest cases in the government registry date back to March 1964. In Mexico City alone, 4,628 people are missing, according to the Interior Ministry.

But despite the fact the case was largely ignored, Juana saw the missing person report on the website of a foundation that she found on social media. The young woman and the foundation then approached the Prosecutor’s Office. A team specialized in searching for missing people took DNA samples from Juana and Lorena and began the genetic identification work.

The samples from the mother and daughter were taken separately in a laboratory last Wednesday. Before the reunion on Friday, the Prosecutor’s Office informed each of them of the result so that they could emotionally prepare for the reunion. In a video released by the Prosecutor’s Office, both women are shown together while listening to the results of the maternity tests. Juana and Lorena close their eyes upon receiving the news. Afterwards, the mother turns to Juana, and the two cry and hug one another.

But the story doesn’t end there. There are still many questions to be answered, such as what happened the day of Juana’s disappearance? And what happened to her in the 27 years that followed? Godoy said that authorities hope to have answers to these questions as they interview Juana and Lorena over the course of the next few days. The newly reunited mother and daughter did not make any comments after the meeting.