Connecticut police have located a New Haven girl — now a woman — who went missing 25 years ago, when she was just 2 years old.

Andrea Reyes, 27, was abducted in October 1999 by her non-custodial, biological mother, Rosa Tenorio, who brought her to Mexico. 

“Thank you for sharing in our joy in finding our daughter Andrea. After 25 years, God has answered our prayers and blessed us with a chance to know her again,” Andrea’s stepmother said in an emotional statement during a March 12 press conference with the New Haven Police Department. “We recognize that this reacquaintance will have challenges, however, we are confident that God is building the path before us and leading our steps.”

Andrea’s father went on several trips to Mexico himself over the years to find his daughter, police said during the press conference.

Family abductions are the second-most common type of child abduction in the United States, according to NCMEC.

Andrea Reyes’ father speaks during a March 12 press conference about finding his missing daughter after 25 years. (Facebook/ New Haven PF)

In 2023, NCMEC received 1,185 family abduction cases and 59% of all AMBER Alerts that were issued were for family abductions.

 “One of the biggest misconceptions about family abduction cases is that the children are safe and ‘not really missing’ because they’re with a parent,”  Angeline Hartmann, director of communications at NCMEC, said in a statement. “At NCMEC, we know that there is a lot of emotion behind these cases, and these scenarios can be unpredictable and dangerous. These children ARE missing and living a life on the run with their kidnapper. They’re forced to lie about who they are and are often isolated. The recent recoveries of Andrea Reyes and Aziz Khan remind everyone that these kids can be found, no matter how long they’ve been gone.”

An arrest warrant for Tenorio remains active.