'I was told my baby died in a fire but I spotted her at a birthday party six years later'
Luzaida Cuevas was left heartbroken when she was told her newborn baby girl Delimar had died in a fire - but she later discovered that her cousin by marriage had kidnapped her
A mother who was told her newborn girl had died in a fire received the shock of her life six years later when she saw her at a party. mum Luzaida Cuevas was heartbroken after being told her 10-day old child Delimar had perished in a fire.
However, the truth was that she had been kidnapped by Carolyn Correa, a cousin through marriage to Delimar's father Pedro. Correa raised the child as her own and named her Aaliyah Hernandez.
The shocking story is revealed in a new documentary 'Back from the Dead: Who Kidnapped Me?'.
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Despite no body being found, authorities informed Delimar's parents that she had died in a December 1997 fire blamed on a heater's extension cord.
But Luzaida held onto her belief that her daughter was alive. She clung to this belief because when the fire ravaged their family home, she rushed to where Delimar had been sleeping and found an empty cot with the window wide open, reports the Mirror.
Firefighters had to drag her from the house as she screamed that her baby had been taken. Now 26, Delimar told The Sun: "People think that you get kidnapped and in the aftermath, everything is rainbows, butterflies and life moves on. But sadly, that's not the truth. There's a lot of work that goes into repairing those relationships and moving on."
She grew up in New Jersey with Correa and her own children.
Delimar added: "I never thought I looked like her [Correa]. Her daughter was more fair skinned like myself. So, I always thought me and her daughter look alike. I just don't look like my mum."
In 2004, during a birthday party, Luzaida made a shocking discovery; she spotted a girl who bore an uncanny resemblance to her missing daughter. Seizing the moment with clever thinking, she pretended the girl had gum in her hair and carefully pulled out strands for a DNA test.
Delimar remembered how Luzaida pulled at her hair and thought: "I remember seeing her and thinking to myself, 'Wow, this woman is really pretty.' I kept looking at her, like, 'Oh, she's so beautiful.'" She felt an intrinsic understanding that Luzaida was her mother, explaining how she "naturally gravitated" towards her without knowing why.
Determined to reunite with her child, Luzaida pursued justice which led to DNA tests confirming that she and Pedro were indeed Delimar's biological parents. In 2005, Carolyn Correa, the kidnapper, faced justice and received a prison sentence ranging from nine to thirty years after entering a plea of no contest to charges of kidnapping, interference with custody, and conspiracy.
The documentary revealed that Pedro suspected he'd been lured away from home by Correa under the pretense of a job opportunity, only for her to return by herself and set their house on fire. Pedro came back to find firefighters battling the flames.
After the harrowing events, Delimar ended up in foster care but eventually found solace and connection with her true parents, Luzaida and Pedro.
However, adjusting to her new life proved challenging, as Delimar spoke English, while her parents predominantly conversed in Spanish. She revealed: "I don't want to say everybody, but a lot of people wanted to exploit us, but nobody thought for a second, maybe this family needs help."
Delimar also disclosed that she had struggled with suicidal thoughts at the age of 12, as the reality of her kidnapping began to sink in.
The motivations behind Correa's decision to abduct Delimar remain unclear.
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