For 30 years, the household of Judy Rodriguez puzzled what occurred to the beloved mom sister after she vanished with no hint.
The household had all however given up hope of getting solutions, however the mixture of decided detectives, science and the Queens district lawyer’s workplace gave them the present of latest data in the course of the vacation season.
“It really is heartwarming to have answers,” stated an emotional Anna Salvadore, Rodriguez’s sister.
One other sister, Jennifer Musse, known as Judy “a beautiful person, she always had a smile on her face.”
A photograph confirmed Judy and her daughter Stephanie at her first birthday celebration in 1991. However that was the final time the household would ever see Judy, as she disappeared proper after.
“We just had a beautiful time and unfortunately that was the last time we all saw her,” stated Salvadore.
The household searched throughout New York Metropolis and posted handmade lacking fliers. However there have been no calls, no leads — simply the insufferable weight of questions, particularly for the matriarch of the Rodriguez household.
“My mom was just always looking, asking questions. Trying to find people who had seen her,” Salvadore stated. “I know she lived with an incredible hole in her heart. Just never felt whole after that.”
Quick-forward 33 years and to the recognition of family tree testing. Salvadore’s daughter determined to submit a pattern to a database and consented to legislation enforcement entry. Then out of nowhere, a cellphone name got here in.
“It was a genealogist for the NYPD,” stated Salvadore, “And that there was a attainable DNA match to a lacking particular person. I instantly received chills once I heard the message.”
Judy’s daughter Stephanie was requested by a detective to submit samples for additional testing.
“It came back a 100% match on the anniversary of my mom’s passing. I felt like it was my mom giving us answers. It was incredible,” Salvadore stated.
“To me, this is a miracle,” stated Marcos Rodriguez, the sufferer’s brother.
Queens District Lawyer Melinda Katz began the chilly case unit 5 years in the past and it’s turn into a mannequin throughout the nation.
“I knew that we could make a difference in people’s lives and that difference didn’t always mean prosecution. That difference meant giving people answers,” Katz instructed NBC New York. “There is comfort to having closure.”
For the DA’s workplace, these solutions Katz spoke about can come from science.
“It’s unusual to have a prosecution of a case where we have a body but not an identification,” the DA stated.
In 1991, the physique of a lady was discovered hidden off the Cross Island Expressway and the Southern State Parkway in Queens. 4 males have been arrested, charged and convicted of homicide. The sufferer couldn’t be recognized however NYPD detectives on the time made an important choice.
“The foresight of keeping her bones and knowing that it could be tested one day was amazing,” stated Katz. “Thirty-three years later, my office and the NYPD put into a genealogy company the DNA. And we finally got an identity of this woman. A woman named Judy Rodriguez.”
Judy Rodriguez’s case isn’t alone. Removed from it.
“We have about 47 cases now of victims that we have not been able to identify over the last decades. We are going through them one by one,” Katz stated. “Congresswoman Grace Meng gave us $500,000 grant to have the ability to do a number of this analysis, particularly with the 47 different victims that we now have to establish.”
For DA Katz, the mission is deeply private.
Now that they’ve solutions, Rodriguez’s tight knit household is planning on burying her close to her mother and father and giving her a correct memorial service.
“Honestly happy that we are able to put her to rest. And that we were able to find her,” Stephanie Rodriguez stated of getting her mom’s physique recognized. “It’s bittersweet but I’m so grateful we have answers. So grateful, beyond blessed.”
For households wrestling with unanswered questions in the course of the vacation season, the Rodriguez household shared phrases of encouragement.
“There’s hope out there,” stated Stephanie Rodriguez.
“For those that are looking for answers, go get a DNA test,” Salvadore stated. “Don’t lose hope. It is possible all these years later to have answers.”
