(Picture: AP/Instagram/delimar_vera)
A mother who believed her newborn daughter perished in a house fire experienced a life-altering shock six years later when she discovered her child alive at a birthday party. Luzaida Cuevas was devastated when authorities told her that her 10-day-old daughter, Delimar, had died in a December 1997 blaze.
In reality, Delimar had been abducted by Carolyn Correa, a relative through marriage on Delimar’s father Pedro’s side, who deceitfully raised the child as her own, renaming her Aaliyah Hernandez. The extraordinary story is detailed in the documentary Back from the Dead: Who Kidnapped Me?, which delves into the kidnapping and eventual reunion.
From the start, Luzaida doubted the fire’s official narrative. She recalled finding Delimar’s crib empty and a nearby window open as the flames consumed their home. Despite her protests, firefighters removed her from the house, dismissing her fears of abduction, reports the Mirror.
In 2004, while attending a birthday party, Luzaida noticed a girl who bore an uncanny resemblance to her missing daughter. Acting quickly, she pretended the child had gum in her hair, using the opportunity to discreetly collect strands of hair for DNA testing.
“I remember seeing her and thinking, ‘Wow, this woman is really pretty,’” Delimar, now 26, shared with The Sun. “I kept looking at her, like, ‘Oh, she’s so beautiful.’” She added that she instinctively felt a connection to Luzaida.
DNA tests later confirmed that Luzaida and Pedro were Delimar’s biological parents. Correa was arrested and sentenced to nine to 30 years in prison after pleading no contest to charges of kidnapping, interference with child custody, and conspiracy in 2005.
Pedro revealed that Correa had tricked him on the day of the fire by offering a fake job opportunity, luring him away from their home. Upon his return, he found the house engulfed in flames.
Reuniting with her biological family was challenging for Delimar, who had grown up speaking English, while her parents primarily spoke Spanish. “Nobody thought for a second, maybe this family needs help,” she said, reflecting on the struggles her family faced post-reunion.
At 12, Delimar grappled with suicidal thoughts as she processed the trauma of her abduction. The reasons behind Correa’s actions remain unclear, but Delimar’s journey underscores the lasting impact of such an ordeal. “There’s a lot of work that goes into repairing those relationships and moving on,” she said.
