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The Disappearance of Delimar Vera | Morbid | Podcast

August 05, 2024 / 53:42

This episode covers the kidnapping case of Delmar Vera, the role of Carolyn Carrera, and the eventual reunion of Delmar with her parents. Key discussions include the fire that led to Delmar's disappearance, the family's belief that she was still alive, and the legal battles that followed.

Ash and Elena discuss the events surrounding the fire that broke out in the Vera household on December 15, 1997, which led to the disappearance of newborn Delmar Vera. The fire was caused by a home-rigged extension cord connected to a space heater. Loose Vera, Delmar's mother, discovered the fire and was unable to find her baby in the crib.

After the fire, the family was informed that Delmar had died, but Loose and her husband Pedro never believed it. They maintained that Delmar was still alive. In 2004, Loose spotted a girl resembling Delmar at a family party, who was introduced as Aaliyah, the daughter of Carolyn Carrera, a woman who had been at their home on the night of the fire.

Loose took a hair sample from Aaliyah to conduct DNA testing, which confirmed that Aaliyah was indeed Delmar. Carolyn was arrested for kidnapping and arson after fleeing when confronted by law enforcement. The episode discusses the emotional and legal complexities surrounding the case, including the challenges of reuniting Delmar with her family.

The episode concludes with the family's eventual reunion and their efforts to move forward after the traumatic events, highlighting the resilience of the Vera family.

TL;DR

The episode recounts the kidnapping of Delmar Vera, her rescue, and the family's emotional reunion.

Episode

53:42
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hey weirdos I'm Ash and I'm Elena and
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this is
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[Music]
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morbid this is morbid this is morbid
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this is morbid oh it's morbid it's
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morbid
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and guess what we did another Tik Tok
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hey and it was really funny it was a fun
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one we used our girl kale Lowes we did
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and it was awesome you know name and
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likeness or whatever it is yeah and you
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guys have been hilarious about it so
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thanks for for uh supporting our Tik Tok
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Journey with my book shouldn't be
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outside enjoying the sunlight should be
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in C cave the fun an unhinged thing to
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say to a human being hilarious hilarious
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I think even kale would agree that
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that's [ __ ] hilarious but like whoa
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yeah how does your brain just say to
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another person so calm you should be in
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a cave you should be in a cave yeah I
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love it I think it's hilarious and I
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love her reaction cuz she's just like
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what what what the [ __ ] are you talking
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about so good oh but that Tik Tok was
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really fun to film yeah you guys have
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been amazing about it so thanks for
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being so great what's your Tik Tok
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handle you [ __ ] uh what is it I think
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it's Elena to the max my everything is
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Elena to the max you got to let the
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people know every time that's how we're
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going to drive people to your Tik to I
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am and we we'll be doing more and as
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September 17th approaches which is the
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day that the book comes out the butcher
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game The Butcher game.com if you need to
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order something you could pre-order it
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it might come the day before who knows
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that's always fun and like more signed
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copies might be happening maybe right
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who knows you never know the world is an
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oyster and it's yours and it's my oyster
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yeah no of theirs no well it's all of
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ours yeah everybody's oyster we can all
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have a part of shellfish allergy I
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actually don't like shellfish so it's my
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like meatball sub I would say I have to
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tell you something I told you I was
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never going to eat oysters again I ate
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them vibrio I ate them but I'm only
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eating them in places where like I feel
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like the water is Super
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Fresh it's a Vibe vibrio is also a Vibe
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no vibrio is actually not a Vibe it's a
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Vibe it's some kind of VI Vio is a is a
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is a dang dark with fire my friend I
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know well YOLO you know here we are but
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YOLO YOLO as the kids would say I don't
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think they say that any yo y
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accidentally said yo yo y here we are
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know you know I have an interesting case
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today to tell you all about I do it's
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kind of like not really like well that's
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not true I was going to say it's not
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like anything we it's not like anything
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we've ever done totally different but
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it's not um it's sort of it's like in a
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different wheelhouse but it's still our
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wheelhouse I feel all right it's a
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kidnapping I'd like to warn you at the
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top of the show okay so it's a little
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bit intense okay but I'm going to also
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tell you it has a happy ending oh good
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okay and nobody dies there's no murder
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look at that yeah so that's wow that is
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different so here we are different
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wheelhouse all right so should we dive
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in let's dive in it's been a long time
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since I did that and it just came to me
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know I did all right so we're going to
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be talking about The Disappearance of
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Delmar Vera Delmar Vera was born
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December 5th 1996 seven so like we're
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about the same age look at that to I
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think it's pronounced loose I looked it
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up quas and Pedro Vera a young couple
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they were living in Fonville North
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Philadelphia loose was beyond
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excital are you what here we go and
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we're excital excital lose was beyond
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excited about the arrival of her baby
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daughter but she always maintained her
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then husband Pedro hadn't been super
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stoked about the prospect of having
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children he was like yeah woohooo like
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according to her not super excited it's
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not great in fact according to her when
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the baby was born Pedro actually refused
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to sign the birth certificate which she
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pointed to as evidence that he quote did
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not want the child I think that's pretty
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glaring evidence I would say yeah I'm
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like I don't love that that's really sad
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I know but a little more than a week
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later on December 15th loose was home
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with Pedro their new baby delar which I
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think is such a pretty name yeah and
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their two sons who at that time were
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four and five and around 7:00 p.m. there
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was a knock on the door and loose
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answered it to find a woman who she'd
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never met before standing on her
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doorstep the woman Carolyn Carrera was
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actually Pedro's cousin by marriage she
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was from New Jersey and she said she was
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there hoping that Pedro might take a
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look at her car she said her car was
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having break problems Pedro was like
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good with car stuff so she kind of just
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showed up from New Jersey and said hey
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take a look at my breaks okay r
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yeah unexpected this is why I don't
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answer the door oh I never answer the
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door no I literally never answer the
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door even when it's people I'm expecting
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i s Drew you said no can you get the
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door please oh I yeah I don't even
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answer the door then yeah nope nope but
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Pedro agreed to take a look at the car
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but before he did he said he needed to
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run some errands and go grocery shopping
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so while he was out the two women
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remained at the house just kind of
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making small talk cuz remember they
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don't know each other so it's like a
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pretty awkward situation but she's kind
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of family like she she's
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so she loses trying to like be a good
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Entertainer i' be like sorry but she
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said later on she would describe it as
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an uncomfortable conversation yeah I can
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imagine and also having just given birth
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a little over a week earlier I don't
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think you'd really want to be
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entertaining by yourself no you don't
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but because she had just given birth
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only a week earlier or like a little
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more than a week earlier the subject of
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a baby came up naturally and this woman
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Carolyn mentioned that she and her
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boyfriend Andrea Moore had also just
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recently had a baby she said same sister
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wow now as the women were chatting
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downstairs L suddenly heard a loud bang
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upstairs that sounded like an explosion
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and the baby sleeping upstairs what the
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[ __ ] so she is obviously terrified and
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she runs upstairs and goes into delmar's
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room but by the time she reached the
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room a small fire had broken out and the
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room was beginning to fill with smoke
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holy [ __ ] now despite the large amount
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of smoke now and the fumes just rapidly
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f the room loose was able to get to the
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crib she was completely determined to
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get there and got there but delar was
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nowhere to be seen what the [ __ ] she was
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gone in her own room yep she had just
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been sleeping in her room and then she
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heard a loud bang and the baby was gone
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by the time she got to the crib that's
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everyone's worst nightmare and it's also
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just like how did this happened she was
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upstairs and I've been downstairs this
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whole time like where's the baby so a
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few seconds later the smoke had become
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unbearable and loose was forced to out
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of the room after catching her breath
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she tried again to go back in the room
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and get to the crib wow she actually
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suffered Burns to her face and her arms
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but when she reached the crib her first
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impression was confirmed there was
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definitely no baby in that CRI the [ __ ]
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now she also noticed that the window in
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the room was open and she knew that
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there was no way she would have done
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that herself just one having the baby in
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the room by herself she wasn't going to
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open the window but also it was a cold
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night so that it just wouldn't have been
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something that she'd do so this was
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shocking but the fire had grown out of
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control at that point and she didn't
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have time to think because also she had
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other children that she had to get to oh
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yeah she has a four and five-year-old so
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they were forced outside and we're this
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is heartbreaking neighbors just could
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hear her screaming my baby my baby oh
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God over and over again so hearing the
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noise and seeing the smoke and fire from
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the house coming from the house a
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neighbor 20 uh 20-year-old Jose Rosario
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rushed over and tried to get into the
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house to save the baby later he told
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journalist that he heard crying so
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covering his face he tried to climb the
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stairs to get to the baby but the smoke
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was so thick he just couldn't get in
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there he said I tried the best I could
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but the smoke was choking me other
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neighbors also tried to help like Chico
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fron who tried to douse the house with
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his garden hose but it just the fire was
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out of control a garden hose wasn't
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going to do anything he told a reporter
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the Flames were just too much damn so
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firefight arrived at the scene quickly
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and they pushed back what was now a
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really big crowd and they were all just
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the crowd was shouting like save the
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baby save the baby oh man frazon
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remembered the neighbors were outside
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yelling there's a baby in there there's
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a baby and loose also reported to the
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firefighters that she had gone to her
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daughter's room when the when the fire
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first broke out but that she had found
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no baby in the crib where she had
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expected her baby Delmar to be that's
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horrifying now there's no documentation
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of how firefighters responded to the
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claims
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but it's pretty clear from their later
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statements that they didn't believe
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loose at the time why the [ __ ] would she
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say that I don't really know within
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about 10 minutes firefighters had things
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under control luckily and the fire was
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extinguished but the small row house had
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been completely gutted and there was no
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sign of little Delmar now just then
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Pedro returned to find the house
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destroyed his wife being packed into an
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ambulance and he found out that his
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daughter was consumed by the fire that's
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what that's what firefighters told him
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holy [ __ ] yeah Delmar ended up being
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declared dead at the scene and fire
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officials explained to Pedro that they
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found no body because her remains were
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completely destroyed by the Flames now
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just up front that is not what happened
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so I don't think for a second that
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that's what happen but that's what this
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family was told holy [ __ ] but they never
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believed it wow Pedro didn't believe it
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and neither did loose wow so the next
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day fire Captain Henry doberry told the
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press the fire was caused by a home
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rigged extension cord connected to a
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space heater which must have thrown a
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spark at some point and started the fire
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oh man neighbor Gloria moika said it's a
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shame because they were just trying to
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find a way to keep themselves warm yeah
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loose was discharged discharged excuse
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me from Temple University Hospital just
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one day after the fire and she learned
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that not only were there no remains to
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bury but also that as a result of their
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not being a body the medical examiner
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actually couldn't issue a death
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certificate or even legally declare
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Delmar dead holy [ __ ] so like
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firefighters First Responders said like
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decare their dead at the scene but they
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couldn't legally do that like like U
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like firefighters could but they
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couldn't have it on record Like official
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record exactly and if the parents wanted
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or needed that formality they were going
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to have to go and petition a court to
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get their child declared legally dead
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yeah when they don't know that for sure
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exactly wow so the family was uh
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understandably devastated yeah but but
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they didn't really have a lot of choice
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but to move on and try to make things
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the best they could for their two living
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children so they moved to a new house
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and in 1999 loose gave birth to a fourth
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child a boy that they named Samuel they
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felt happy about adding to their family
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obviously but the loss of a child took a
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really heavy toll on them of course and
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in December of 2022 or excuse me 2002
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loose and Pedro separated for good
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that's so common it is when you lose a
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child when you was a child and just like
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grief in general like yeah that can tear
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people apart and by that time they
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really just agreed on very little and
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their communication was just it had
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gotten really bad but they did agree on
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one thing they both believed that Delmar
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was still alive in 2004 L said I always
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knew that my daughter did not die in
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that fire they were actually both very
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public about their beliefs Gloria moha
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recalled every time I'd see Pedro he'd
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say the same thing my baby's alive I
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know it wow they just like like felt it
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in their hearts and it's like you can
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see how like the whole thing changed his
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perspective on yeah like being a father
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with this child you know what I mean
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like you can tell he immediately was
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like that's my baby and my baby's alive
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it's like a very cliche thing to say but
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you don't know what you have till it's
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gone yeah you know it's like obviously
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he was like that's my child and they
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were correct it sounds like so it's like
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they both have a that
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parent definitely now Pedro wasn't just
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convinced that his daughter was alive
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but he was also determined to find her
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wherever she had gone hell yeah Pedro I
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know let's go moika said he would tell
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me he was pursuing it though what
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exactly that meant how he was pursuing
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it remains unclear but you know what he
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had intentions to yeah so on January
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24th 2004 loose went to a family party
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thrown by Pedro's Sister Evelyn where
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she spotted a young girl who looked to
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be about 6 years old according to loose
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the girl quote bore a striking
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resemblance to herself and her other
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children stop loose like we said never
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believed Delmar uh died in the fire so
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when she saw the child she instantly
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felt that it was Delmar holy [ __ ] and
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she's just at a family party and at a
00:13:13
family party mhm that feeling became
00:13:16
even stronger when she realized that the
00:13:19
girl's mother was Carolyn K I think it's
00:13:21
kareah I I didn't trust this lady the
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second you said she showed up at the
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door she just showed up at the door from
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New Jersey randomly and was like
00:13:29
are I didn't want to say it for fear
00:13:31
that like she was an innocent bystander
00:13:33
here was just so I was keeping it inside
00:13:36
but I was like I don't know about this
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girl
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imagine like don't you imagine this but
00:13:41
listener imagine your child goes missing
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from your home while a weird stranger is
00:13:47
there and then you go to a family party
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and you see what you know is your child
00:13:53
or like very very strongly believe as
00:13:56
your child and the lady who you had a
00:13:58
weird feeling about already is claiming
00:14:01
to be the mother no or is the lady that
00:14:04
took this this child to the party
00:14:08
like you Del or loose must have felt
00:14:11
like she was in an alternate [ __ ]
00:14:13
universe and the the feeling of like
00:14:15
helplessness at first must have been
00:14:17
unreal because it's like what do I do
00:14:20
well everyone's going to think I sound
00:14:22
cucko nut Banas and it's like if you
00:14:24
know that's your child you're like well
00:14:26
I'm going to burn the I'm going to like
00:14:28
Scorch the Earth to this child back so
00:14:30
like I guess let's [ __ ] go like that
00:14:34
would be my i' be like let's go let's
00:14:37
[ __ ] go like I'm going to burn the
00:14:41
whole place down I would like I'm
00:14:43
getting that kid back well don't you
00:14:44
worry loose is the baddest [ __ ] in the
00:14:46
game I knew it about loose so Carolyn
00:14:50
introduced this girl as a Leah was like
00:14:53
this is my daughter Aaliyah but Loose
00:14:55
just couldn't shake the feeling that not
00:14:57
Aaliyah this was her daughter
00:14:59
oh my God and she was like she started
00:15:01
putting two and two together and she's
00:15:03
like I don't know how but somehow
00:15:04
Carolyn kidnapped my baby on the night
00:15:06
of the fire like I just know she kep her
00:15:08
distracted downstairs mhm she later told
00:15:10
a reporter those dimples were all the
00:15:12
DNA I needed to be certain cuz she had
00:15:14
these little di some Mama [ __ ] she had
00:15:17
that child for like a little over a week
00:15:20
literally a little over a week like
00:15:22
that's like like luckily like luckily
00:15:25
many of us do not have to worry about
00:15:27
like what how you would be able to
00:15:29
identify your child older when not
00:15:30
seeing them for their entire life that
00:15:33
but hearing this you're just like damn
00:15:36
like that parent like love and knowledge
00:15:40
for your like who your child is that's
00:15:43
unbelievable it's a force it's a over a
00:15:45
weeked you knew this infant newborn and
00:15:49
then you see them years later and you're
00:15:51
like that's my kid and like let's be
00:15:52
real most newborns look alike like
00:15:55
exactly newborns all look pretty similar
00:15:57
that's unbelievable yeah
00:15:59
that's really unbelievable this family
00:16:00
is icon yeah they're incredible so
00:16:02
according to Pedro's cousin Jose Vera
00:16:05
this was actually not the first time
00:16:06
either Pedro or loose had seen Aaliyah
00:16:09
and while they weren't exactly close
00:16:10
with Carolyn they were still related and
00:16:12
had some contact with her over the years
00:16:14
but not much but Jose Vera said they
00:16:16
agreed the child looked like them and
00:16:18
Pedro always thought it was his daughter
00:16:20
but nothing ever happened till now oh
00:16:22
damn so he claimed that although
00:16:25
although Pedro had seen the girl in
00:16:26
person at family functions loose had
00:16:29
only ever seen her in photographs before
00:16:31
this family function where she's like
00:16:32
that's my daughter that's my child and
00:16:34
she really didn't have a lot of contact
00:16:36
with the family since ending her
00:16:37
relationship with Pedro in 2002 but
00:16:40
still they both together reported their
00:16:42
suspicions to the police and nothing
00:16:45
ever came of the complaints like from
00:16:47
seeing the photographs and that kind of
00:16:49
thing my God but now in 2004 with the
00:16:52
girl just standing right in front of her
00:16:54
loose was like without a doubt 100% my
00:16:57
daughter like I I definitely thought so
00:16:59
before but now I know but now I'm in
00:17:01
front of her I'm in her presence I know
00:17:02
it and she actually told the host of the
00:17:04
party that she believed Aaliyah was
00:17:06
Delamar but given the unbelievable
00:17:09
nature of the claim the host just kind
00:17:11
of dismissed what she was saying and was
00:17:12
like no no no that's Carolyn's daughter
00:17:14
like you must be mistaken and probably
00:17:16
felt bad probably was like yeah like
00:17:18
that I have to tell you like I'm sorry
00:17:20
know somebody else's daughter right but
00:17:23
L's own brother even doubted what she
00:17:25
was saying and said we thought she was
00:17:27
just traumatized by the fire which like
00:17:29
you can understand that yeah cuz it's
00:17:31
like that would be traumatizing I can't
00:17:32
even fathom the amount of trauma she
00:17:34
would have she did have I'm sure it's
00:17:37
like so and Trauma makes you do some
00:17:39
things that you know you wouldn't
00:17:40
normally do or like makes you think
00:17:42
things she's desperate to find her child
00:17:45
again so maybe this is one of those
00:17:47
instances where it's like she's just
00:17:48
desperate or maybe not or maybe not so
00:17:52
later that afternoon Luc was like okay
00:17:54
you guys can all think I'm cuck nuts
00:17:55
bananas but I'm not and I'm going to Pro
00:17:57
it all she's like NOP so she approached
00:17:59
the girl the little girl and just made
00:18:01
small talk with her and then right
00:18:03
before Aaliyah was about to run off L
00:18:06
told her oh you have some gum in your
00:18:07
hair like let me help you with that and
00:18:09
while she removed the gum shut up or
00:18:12
like while she pretended to to remove
00:18:14
the gum she used it as an opportunity to
00:18:16
get a hair sample that she could take to
00:18:18
the police for DNA
00:18:19
testing when I said is a [ __ ] icon
00:18:24
when I said baddest [ __ ] in the game I
00:18:27
meant it lose lo I want to like Shake
00:18:31
loose's hand
00:18:32
like [ __ ] loose that is genius level
00:18:36
she's so nonchalant about it too she
00:18:38
told reporters later because of TV I
00:18:41
knew they needed hair for the DNA oh
00:18:43
[ __ ] like looses she's like I just
00:18:45
watch TV I learned some [ __ ] that's
00:18:46
Elite that's Elite Behavior loose and
00:18:50
and also that's Elite Behavior because
00:18:52
you did nothing to scare this girl and
00:18:54
that's a m and nothing to inform her
00:18:57
that her
00:18:59
you know her anything was being called
00:19:01
into question like that's unbelievable
00:19:05
unbelievable truly unbelievable because
00:19:08
your first instinct might be to just
00:19:10
like you know like again you're
00:19:12
traumatized you're desperate to find
00:19:13
your child yeah you would want to run up
00:19:16
to her and just be like you're my
00:19:17
baby taking you with me but this child
00:19:21
clearly was gone barely a a week after
00:19:25
her birth whoever mother quote unquote
00:19:28
she thinks is her mother that's the only
00:19:31
mother she's known that's the thing
00:19:32
she's 6 years old she's been raised for
00:19:35
6 years by Carol you can't scare her you
00:19:37
can't make her question her whole
00:19:39
upbringing you can't you don't know what
00:19:41
kind of life she's had you don't know
00:19:42
anything about that so it's like you
00:19:44
can't just run up to her and be like I
00:19:45
think you're my kid like she's six like
00:19:47
she's going to be like what so doing
00:19:50
that in such a way that is one brilliant
00:19:52
into totally nonchalant and not
00:19:55
upsetting to that girl at all is like
00:19:58
Mama Mama [ __ ] well done loose so a few
00:20:01
days after the party loose brought the
00:20:02
haris to her local Philadelphia police
00:20:04
uh Precinct to ask for help and they
00:20:06
redirected her to a lab where she could
00:20:08
actually get the DNA testing done hell
00:20:10
yeah according to the official story
00:20:12
remember Delmar Vera had died in a
00:20:15
tragic fire and police never believed
00:20:17
she was kidnapped so there was actually
00:20:18
little they could have done to help her
00:20:20
at the time according to representative
00:20:22
Angel Cruz who would eventually prove
00:20:24
instrumental in solving this case the
00:20:26
language barrier between loose spoke
00:20:29
very little English and law enforcement
00:20:31
might have caused additional confusion
00:20:33
and prevented faster action I'm sure so
00:20:35
loose had hoped to get the DNA test done
00:20:38
to prove that Aaliyah was her daughter
00:20:40
but with limited English language skills
00:20:42
no information about how to access
00:20:44
Laboratory Testing and of course little
00:20:46
financial resources that kind of thing
00:20:48
is so expensive yeah the chances that
00:20:50
she would get answers were pretty slim
00:20:53
but after hearing her story though a
00:20:55
neighbor suggested that Luc seek help
00:20:57
from representative Ang Cruz who
00:20:59
represented the largely Latino
00:21:01
Philadelphia neighborhood that loose was
00:21:03
living in at the time Cruz said I must
00:21:06
admit when loose first came to me with
00:21:07
this story I had trouble believing her I
00:21:10
mean it's it's it's an incredible story
00:21:12
it is yeah but something in the story
00:21:15
struck him as being true so he agreed to
00:21:17
speak with law enforcement on her behalf
00:21:19
and explain what she had told him he was
00:21:21
like I don't know but I'll try hell yeah
00:21:25
Cruz now when the fire first broke out
00:21:27
in Pedro and luc's home in 1997 her
00:21:30
Instinct was to run to the the
00:21:32
daughter's room and save her yeah it's
00:21:34
worth noting she had been alerted to the
00:21:36
danger because of the loud bang not the
00:21:38
fire itself which hadn't broken out yet
00:21:41
by the time she reached the room huh and
00:21:44
when she reached the crib Delmar had
00:21:45
already vanished and then the fire began
00:21:48
yeah that's the thing like when I was
00:21:50
first telling that story you heard loud
00:21:52
bang runs upstairs sees that the crib is
00:21:55
empty and then the room starts filling
00:21:57
with smoke and the fire bre I was
00:21:58
wondering like cuz I'm like what is this
00:22:00
loud bang like what happened here
00:22:02
exactly and you could assume like oh
00:22:04
that was the space heater exping that's
00:22:05
when you said that I was like oh that
00:22:06
must have been it but who knows maybe it
00:22:08
was somebody opening the window maybe it
00:22:10
was yeah a ladder being thrown on the
00:22:12
side of the house I don't know yeah so
00:22:15
all that to say though when loose
00:22:16
reported to fire officials that her
00:22:18
daughter was missing she meant that the
00:22:20
girl hadn't been in the house when the
00:22:22
fire began but as Angel Cruz pointed out
00:22:25
it's entirely possible that because of
00:22:27
that language barrier investigators just
00:22:29
thought that she meant her daughter was
00:22:31
trapped in the house during the fire
00:22:32
absolutely I could see that which you
00:22:34
understand that of course any claims
00:22:36
loose and Pedro made after the fire were
00:22:38
just dismissed as those of grieving
00:22:40
parents struggling to accept being
00:22:43
willing to and also when loose initially
00:22:46
took the lock of hair to the police she
00:22:48
brought it to the front desk of the
00:22:49
precinct cuz how would she know to bring
00:22:52
I would to do with it but the receiving
00:22:54
officer had no prior knowledge of the
00:22:56
case and there wasn't any kind of
00:22:57
translator there to help with the
00:22:59
barrier the language barrier oh man so
00:23:01
she wasn't able to really convey like
00:23:04
how important this was and what this was
00:23:06
huge what the background tier was yeah
00:23:09
that's so frustrating yeah it is so to
00:23:11
Angel Cruz who spoke fluent Spanish the
00:23:14
story like we said was equally
00:23:16
unbelievable and his Instinct though was
00:23:18
to respond exactly how law enforcement
00:23:20
agents had over the years but the fact
00:23:22
that loose had never wavered in her her
00:23:24
belief and she was so thoroughly
00:23:26
convinced that the girl was her daughter
00:23:28
seemed good enough a reason to him to at
00:23:29
least follow up yeah so he contacted the
00:23:32
police on her behalf and he was
00:23:33
successfully able to convince them to
00:23:35
follow up on this
00:23:38
claim another good another goodie I know
00:23:41
this is full that's what I told you it
00:23:43
started off and you're like what the
00:23:44
[ __ ] are you about to tell me what is
00:23:45
going on but I'm like no it's a it's a
00:23:47
good story yeah you're like I promise
00:23:49
you I promise you guys this just keeps
00:23:50
going up and up and up it does and it
00:23:52
will yeah so given the details of the
00:23:54
crime and the ages of the alleged or the
00:23:56
age of the alleged victim the case was
00:23:58
handed over to Lieutenant Michael Bole
00:23:59
of Philadelphia uh Special Victims Unit
00:24:02
an episode of SVU if you will in late
00:24:05
February detectives and Agents from
00:24:06
Child Protective Services went to
00:24:08
Carolyn's home in New Jersey and
00:24:10
explained the situation now given that
00:24:12
so much depended on the outcome of the
00:24:14
DNA tests Aaliyah was actually removed
00:24:16
from the home and temporarily placed in
00:24:18
a foster care while investigators tried
00:24:20
to untangle the details of the case it's
00:24:22
like that's so sad and she's probably
00:24:25
remember like we said this is the only
00:24:27
mom she's ever known has no idea what's
00:24:29
going she little girl she's probably
00:24:31
like what the like what is going on yeah
00:24:33
and it's like and again like this is
00:24:35
this is all because somebody stole her
00:24:39
MH and it's like loc is just trying to
00:24:41
get her back and obviously they have to
00:24:43
go through the steps the proper steps to
00:24:46
do they can't just rip her out of a home
00:24:48
and be like well she's yours now like
00:24:49
you I mean like they could get that like
00:24:52
that's necessary but like man this kid
00:24:54
didn't ask for any of this no and poor
00:24:56
loose and Pedro didn't ask for of this
00:24:59
Carolyn like just victimized everybody
00:25:02
in this family she victimized that child
00:25:04
yeah exactly just to get some she wanted
00:25:07
yeah so according to Carolyn she had
00:25:09
given birth to her daughter Aaliyah in
00:25:11
December of
00:25:12
1997 right around the same time that
00:25:14
loose had her baby oh wow in fact other
00:25:17
family members and her own boyfriend at
00:25:19
the time remembered her being pregnant
00:25:21
and coming home with a baby at the end
00:25:23
of December despite the number of times
00:25:25
that Pedro had voiced his suspicions
00:25:27
nobody ever thought to question Carolyn
00:25:30
and her boyfriend's claims because why
00:25:32
would you ever be like what would make
00:25:35
you do it you know that's the thing
00:25:37
that's the thing now after all while
00:25:38
newborn babies do get kidnapped it's
00:25:41
kind of a rare occurrence yeah I mean
00:25:43
you're not that's not the first thing
00:25:44
you're thinking that these people staged
00:25:46
a wild coup to steal your newborn and
00:25:49
not only that like I'm talking about
00:25:50
like their own family few people would
00:25:53
want to believe their own relatives uh
00:25:55
capable of this no can you imagine of
00:25:58
that no like in your own family that
00:26:01
somebody in your own family stole
00:26:04
another person's baby in your own family
00:26:06
absolutely not out of their crib after
00:26:08
starting a fire in their house it's so
00:26:10
beyond but this time through luc's
00:26:12
insistence and the new hair evidence and
00:26:14
pending DNA results it was compelling
00:26:17
enough that at least a few members of
00:26:18
law enforcement were starting to really
00:26:20
take this seriously let's go everybody
00:26:23
at first everybody's like yeah we'll
00:26:24
follow up but like I don't know it was
00:26:27
it was a case of let's [ __ ] go and
00:26:30
now it's like let's [ __ ] go exactly
00:26:32
so in late February the results of the
00:26:34
DNA test conducted on aiyah hair came
00:26:36
back and provided vital answers the girl
00:26:39
that Carolyn had been passing off as her
00:26:41
daughter Aaliyah for the past six years
00:26:44
nope that was delam Mar Vera [ __ ]
00:26:48
Carolyn yeah [ __ ] Carolyn well what the
00:26:54
[ __ ] with the results in hand Lieutenant
00:26:56
Bole and his partner returned to
00:26:58
Carolyn's home in New Jersey to confront
00:27:00
her but by the time they got there she
00:27:03
had already fled leaving her three other
00:27:06
young children behind oh it's on site
00:27:09
with Carolyn on site like [ __ ] you
00:27:12
Carolyn what an [ __ ] that's the thing
00:27:14
it's like she's just out for her and
00:27:16
hers you're evil you stole someone's
00:27:18
newborn you [ __ ] [ __ ] and then you
00:27:21
abandon your three other children to
00:27:22
flee law enforcement after you got
00:27:24
caught it's I it's [ __ ] to steal any
00:27:27
newborn like don't keep it that weird to
00:27:29
steal a newborn child from your family
00:27:32
it's what like I know you I know you
00:27:34
married into this family but that's your
00:27:36
family like who the [ __ ] are you Carolyn
00:27:39
I hope mhm I hope I hope we see a see
00:27:42
something for Carolyn at the end of this
00:27:44
well investigators now that she was on
00:27:46
the run theorized that certain she'd
00:27:48
been found out and uh would be arrested
00:27:50
she chose to become a fugitive rather
00:27:52
than face the consequences Oh you mean
00:27:54
coward yes exactly because the I mean
00:27:58
everything more or less confirmed her
00:27:59
guilt in the eyes of detectives course
00:28:01
DNA just proved it you stole a baby so
00:28:03
in a statement to the press a law
00:28:05
enforcement official stated their belief
00:28:06
that on the night of December 15th 1997
00:28:09
Caroline started the fire and kidnapped
00:28:11
dmar whom she passed off as her own
00:28:13
daughter wow and when they realized that
00:28:15
she had fled multiple arrest warrants
00:28:17
were issued for charges including arson
00:28:19
kidnapping and concealing the
00:28:21
whereabouts of a child so she was facing
00:28:23
like serious serious charges here not
00:28:26
just kidnapping like that's a serious
00:28:27
charge of itself arson and concealing
00:28:31
the whereabouts of a child like did you
00:28:33
not think about this yeah she did I
00:28:36
don't know yeah she didn't care despite
00:28:38
the circumstances though loose couldn't
00:28:40
help but feel Joy that her daughter
00:28:42
wasn't only alive but would also be
00:28:44
reunited with her in the days to come
00:28:47
yeah boil told reporter she sat there
00:28:49
and Shook and cried and kept saying
00:28:50
thank you thank you thank you but this
00:28:52
is going to be tough absolutely this is
00:28:54
not this kid is 6 years old that's the
00:28:56
thing on the other not so right side of
00:28:58
things this was just the beginning of a
00:29:00
slow and like you said very difficult
00:29:03
process facing everybody involved most
00:29:06
importantly Aaliyah or really Delmar had
00:29:09
only ever known Carolyn to be her mother
00:29:10
like we've said and she was now being
00:29:12
told that Not only was Carolyn not her
00:29:14
mother but Carolyn was her kidnapper who
00:29:17
had stolen her from her actual mother
00:29:20
just days after her birth a concept that
00:29:23
no [ __ ] six-year-old would ever be
00:29:25
able to wrap their head around you can't
00:29:28
can't even imagine a grown adult finding
00:29:31
that out no a teenager finding that out
00:29:34
how how do you explain that to a
00:29:37
six-year-old like without creating like
00:29:40
first of all creating so many new fears
00:29:42
yeah that they were kidnapped out of
00:29:43
their crib disillusioning their entire
00:29:46
world like that just that's a glass
00:29:48
shatter on your entire world and now you
00:29:50
have to reform that bond with that child
00:29:53
like you're going to have a natural
00:29:55
something's there cuz obviously you knew
00:29:57
that was your child like your bond is
00:29:59
strong it's in there but she's like
00:30:01
she's probably going to Miss Carolyn and
00:30:03
like feel kind weird but there's so many
00:30:07
layers that you could point out here I
00:30:08
just feel so bad for I feel so bad for
00:30:11
um for because she by she ends up going
00:30:15
by Aaliyah because that's what she's
00:30:16
been known as life that makes sense it's
00:30:19
and also like how like that's a pretty
00:30:22
big thing of loose and Pedro to do to be
00:30:23
like you know what we'll keep your name
00:30:26
Aah like your kidnapper named you that
00:30:28
that's all you know and we're not going
00:30:29
to and we're not going to change your
00:30:30
name like you know I mean like I
00:30:33
wouldn't even change like a puppy's name
00:30:35
far into you know I mean like and it's
00:30:37
like that that's the and also like you
00:30:40
said your kidnapper named you that right
00:30:43
and also it's like I named you something
00:30:45
like you were you know what I mean like
00:30:47
I named you delar like that was the name
00:30:49
I chose for you it's almost like and now
00:30:51
I I can't call you that it's like a
00:30:54
different thing to grieve yeah like
00:30:56
luckily your child is still alive
00:30:58
healthy and youing that identity that
00:31:00
you created for them when they were born
00:31:02
exactly that's a lot on everybody yeah
00:31:06
and the other thing was further
00:31:07
complicating matters which were already
00:31:09
insanely complicated like we're pointing
00:31:11
out now L spoke very little English and
00:31:15
Aaliyah spoke no Spanish oh so their
00:31:18
ability to communicate with each other
00:31:20
at least initially required a translator
00:31:23
and the services of a professional
00:31:25
social
00:31:26
worker so it's all very like I'm sure
00:31:29
they did their best to make it like not
00:31:31
as clinical as it had to be still that's
00:31:34
like not a setting any six-year-old is
00:31:37
going to be super open in W so Carolyn
00:31:38
did all this and also took her out of
00:31:41
her culture and didn't teach her the
00:31:44
language that she would have been taught
00:31:46
yep wow yep wow Carolyn wow unreal now
00:31:53
shortly after the discovery of all this
00:31:55
Caroline accompanied by her attorney
00:31:56
turned herself into to the authorities
00:31:58
in Philadelphia good as you should the
00:32:00
arrest was a welcome news to Luc and her
00:32:03
family and Pedro she told her reporter
00:32:05
if she was so evil then and started a
00:32:07
fire she could do that now with the kids
00:32:08
inside yes absolutely that's the other
00:32:10
thing she could have killed her other
00:32:12
two children with that fire Absolut EXA
00:32:15
what I was just going to say she didn't
00:32:16
give a [ __ ] and also she abandoned her
00:32:18
other kids to run away from this yeah
00:32:20
exactly FL her now detectives in
00:32:23
Philadelphia were equally pleased with
00:32:24
Carolyn's surrender with Captain John
00:32:27
Darby saying we are pleased that this
00:32:29
phase of a complex protracted and
00:32:31
emotionally charged investig
00:32:32
investigation has been completed with
00:32:34
the subject's arrest in this short time
00:32:36
me too same now while the arrest
00:32:40
appeared to be the beginning of the end
00:32:41
of the police involvement in the case it
00:32:43
also raised um just as many questions as
00:32:47
it answered because to those who knew
00:32:49
her the arrest and allegations of a
00:32:51
kidnapping seemed 100% impossible evely
00:32:55
and Vera Pedro's sister said the rest of
00:32:57
the family wasn't surprised when
00:32:59
Caroline showed up with a baby in
00:33:00
December because they had all believed
00:33:02
that she had been pregnant wow in fact
00:33:05
in early January 1998 a few weeks after
00:33:08
the fire she went to the police station
00:33:11
in New Jersey in uh Willingboro and
00:33:13
reported that she had given birth at
00:33:15
home a bizarre incident they now believe
00:33:18
was intended to cover her tracks should
00:33:20
there be any suspicion holy [ __ ] because
00:33:23
obviously she hadn't given birth
00:33:25
anywhere she not no of her having given
00:33:28
birth in a hospital so she was like oh I
00:33:30
have to do like she researched this
00:33:33
somehow or like she figured out that she
00:33:34
had to go report this that she quote
00:33:37
unquote gave birth at home so that there
00:33:39
would be record of it and also damn
00:33:41
that's cunning as [ __ ] that's the thing
00:33:44
it's that's really [ __ ] up and the
00:33:47
fact that everybody believed she was
00:33:48
pregnant like she had to have been
00:33:50
showing so yeah like what hello what
00:33:53
going on here now when it came to
00:33:55
Aaliyah there was some tension between
00:33:57
the two of them but for the most part
00:33:59
everybody remembered that Carolyn doed
00:34:00
on the girl Evelyn Vera said she treated
00:34:03
that little girl better than her three
00:34:04
other
00:34:05
kids that's also [ __ ] up I'm glad she
00:34:08
treated her well but I'm sorry for those
00:34:10
other three children Aaliyah was
00:34:12
enrolled in private school and although
00:34:14
she was just 6 years old she had already
00:34:16
begun a modeling career appearing in
00:34:17
television and print ads which also
00:34:20
you're just flaunting her you know what
00:34:23
it like there's so many layers there
00:34:25
that I'm like the psych but in this I'm
00:34:28
not saying anything about like kidss
00:34:29
modeling I'm saying in this specific
00:34:32
case you kidnapped this child and now
00:34:34
she's appearing in television ads and
00:34:36
you're like oh like that's my baby yeah
00:34:40
the [ __ ] pathology and the psychology
00:34:42
behind that you could spend years
00:34:45
studying yep what and it's like that's
00:34:49
definitely you just living through this
00:34:51
child and wanting to get the like pats
00:34:53
on the back for like look at my pretty
00:34:55
little girl in the moding ad just like
00:34:57
mangling her in front of the people who
00:34:59
are like pry sure that's my kid like
00:35:03
that's the that's the aspect that I'm
00:35:04
looking at like what the fu when they
00:35:06
said she's evil they are 100% correct
00:35:08
this woman is evil like that's
00:35:10
diabolical now what made the story even
00:35:12
stranger was that there were many
00:35:15
members of the Vera family who not only
00:35:16
knew of Pedro and luc's belief that
00:35:18
their daughter was still alive but
00:35:20
several of them like a lot of people
00:35:22
didn't believe it but several family
00:35:23
family members did believe that
00:35:25
Carolyn's daughter was actually Delmar
00:35:27
wow wow Jose ver said we told my cousin
00:35:30
peder about it but nothing ever happened
00:35:32
nothing was done I don't know why cuz
00:35:34
what do you do because they did report
00:35:36
certain things to the police but the
00:35:38
police were like we don't have any
00:35:39
[ __ ] evidence of that they were like
00:35:40
that's crazy and there was language
00:35:42
barriers there was so many things
00:35:44
doesn't seem like it was like top of the
00:35:45
to-do list for the police at the time
00:35:48
until loose came in there with the hair
00:35:50
yeah my girl loose and then Cruz was
00:35:52
like I'll take care of this exactly now
00:35:54
even Carolyn's boyfriend at the time was
00:35:57
actually suspicious of her story in 1999
00:36:00
he confronted Carolyn about his
00:36:02
suspicions and demanded to take a a
00:36:04
paternity test to prove whether the
00:36:06
child was his or not and at that point
00:36:09
she broke up with him and never had any
00:36:12
contact with him after that you wish
00:36:15
that and I understand like it's this is
00:36:18
you know a position none of us can
00:36:20
imagine being in but I wish that he once
00:36:23
she had broken up with him he had gone
00:36:24
to police and been like I think this kid
00:36:27
was stolen I think this kid was
00:36:29
kidnapped I don't think this kid ISS but
00:36:31
again I can't imagine being in his
00:36:33
position thinking that of of your
00:36:35
significant other and honestly he might
00:36:37
have I didn't I didn't come across that
00:36:40
but like Pedro and loose had gone to the
00:36:42
police that guy did too then like kudos
00:36:44
to him and I'm sorry it didn't work out
00:36:46
but like I know but even if he didn't
00:36:48
I'm like I can't imagine that position
00:36:50
so but you just wish like thinking back
00:36:52
cuz also you probably like if you're
00:36:54
having those suspicions and and then she
00:36:56
breaks up with you all of a sudden
00:36:57
pretty much confirms it but then you
00:36:59
must sit there with your own thoughts
00:37:00
and say no I'm insane like there's no
00:37:03
way I'm claiming this kid is not mine
00:37:05
like that's why am I thinking that you
00:37:07
know like yeah there's a lot of layers
00:37:08
lot guil right and having truly believed
00:37:11
Carolyn to have been pregnant at the
00:37:12
time the breakup also left him with
00:37:15
troubling unanswered questions he said
00:37:17
my question is where is the child she
00:37:19
and I had together it's a traumatic
00:37:21
experience oh I can't imagine because he
00:37:23
thought she had been pregnant with his
00:37:25
baby and then she's got this child and
00:37:27
he's like I don't think this is our
00:37:29
child and she's like well [ __ ] you and
00:37:31
just breaks up with him and cuts off
00:37:33
contact it's like cuz now he's probably
00:37:35
thinking like is that my child and I
00:37:37
can't see them now like what the [ __ ]
00:37:39
and now I'm feeling some layer of guilt
00:37:41
cuz I still don't believe that's my kid
00:37:43
like what happened to my child that I
00:37:45
thought you were pregnant with it's wild
00:37:47
this woman [ __ ] so many people up she
00:37:49
did and it's a whole family o if some
00:37:52
members of the family were stunned by
00:37:54
the Revelation that Aaliyah was delar
00:37:56
there were others who were less
00:37:57
surprised by the news after all this
00:38:00
actually wasn't the first time Carolyn
00:38:01
had been in trouble with the law I'm
00:38:03
shocked or the first time she'd made up
00:38:05
a wild story to explain away someone's
00:38:07
suspicions in 1996 she had actually been
00:38:10
arrested and charged with starting a
00:38:12
fire at a New Jersey medical office
00:38:14
where she'd been working as a billing
00:38:16
clerk according to police Carolyn had
00:38:18
been stealing business checks and
00:38:20
cashing them but when she believed her
00:38:22
boss had got on to what she was doing
00:38:23
she quote tried to destroy evidence by
00:38:25
setting fire to the office
00:38:28
wow Carolyn once an arsonist always an
00:38:31
arsonist yeah also there were people
00:38:34
still inside the building at the time
00:38:36
she set the fire oh this she doesn't
00:38:38
care about killing like she doesn't care
00:38:42
as long as she's getting what she wants
00:38:43
out of it like she it's pure luck that
00:38:46
she hasn't yeah that I've heard from you
00:38:49
yet Carolyn's out for Carolyn and
00:38:51
Carolyn she doesn't give a [ __ ] but
00:38:52
because there was people in the building
00:38:54
at the time she set the fire she was
00:38:55
charged with aggravated arson as she
00:38:58
should be in addition to the fraud and
00:38:59
theft charges but she agreed to plead
00:39:02
guilty to a third degree charge in
00:39:03
exchange for probation and community
00:39:06
service I'm sorry if someone tries to
00:39:08
burn down a building with people inside
00:39:10
of it that's attempted murder also let
00:39:13
me tell you if I was in that
00:39:14
[ __ ] office at the time that
00:39:16
she had set it a blaze and I found out
00:39:17
that she got probation in community
00:39:20
service I would be through the [ __ ]
00:39:23
wild I'd be calling everybody that seems
00:39:26
really wild to me like that's not enough
00:39:29
and also but wait there's more that's
00:39:32
what this story should be titled but
00:39:33
wait there's more it was also not the
00:39:35
only time Carolyn had claimed to be
00:39:37
pregnant when she wasn't oh you don't
00:39:39
say in 2000 while working at a drugstore
00:39:42
she told multiple co-workers that she
00:39:43
was pregnant even though she never
00:39:44
showed any physical signs of being
00:39:46
pregnant that fall she took maternity
00:39:49
Lea and when she returned to work and
00:39:51
Trigger warning she says something
00:39:52
terrible she claimed that the baby was
00:39:55
still born and even went so far as to
00:39:58
show several of her co-workers a
00:40:00
photograph of a dead
00:40:02
newborn I don't even know how to respond
00:40:05
to that mhm her boss said it was kind of
00:40:08
gruesome I really didn't know what to
00:40:10
say to
00:40:11
her is one of the grossest people I've
00:40:14
heard of like that's she's gross unreal
00:40:17
that's
00:40:18
unbelievable this case I obviously
00:40:20
whenever a child that is presumed to
00:40:23
have been missing for many many years is
00:40:25
recovered it's remarkable but in this
00:40:28
case the most unbelievable part of it
00:40:30
probably was Carolyn's version of events
00:40:32
that led to her taking on the role of
00:40:34
Aaliyah's mother according to her she
00:40:37
did go to Pedro and luc's home on
00:40:38
December 15th
00:40:40
1997 but she didn't kidnap Delamar she
00:40:43
said Pedro handed the girl over for a
00:40:47
few inexplicable reasons and she never
00:40:49
had any idea why he did that in a 2005
00:40:52
interview she said I've thought about it
00:40:53
why didn't I question it yeah but it
00:40:56
made my emptiness go away so she just
00:40:58
never questioned his
00:41:00
actions and you know that um that baby
00:41:03
had a mother that you were sitting
00:41:05
talking to downstairs and it filled your
00:41:08
emptiness though to steal her newborn
00:41:10
yeah totally yeah definitely okay that
00:41:12
makes sense that makes it fine also that
00:41:14
just doesn't make any sense whatsoever
00:41:17
fine it's fine if her story seemed uh
00:41:19
entirely implausible it only got
00:41:21
stranger from there she also claimed
00:41:23
that loose had not only known the truth
00:41:25
about her daughter all along but
00:41:27
actually she had been there when Pedro
00:41:29
handed the baby over after the fire
00:41:31
broke out nope and as evidence that she
00:41:33
was telling the truth she pointed to the
00:41:35
number of times that Pedro had visited
00:41:37
her at her and her family at their home
00:41:39
in New Jersey including one occasion
00:41:42
when he she said he was accompanied by
00:41:43
loose she said why is it that Pedro is
00:41:46
not arrested I didn't do this by myself
00:41:49
and he gave me the child why didn't he
00:41:51
get the kid before if he would have come
00:41:52
to me and got her it wouldn't hurt me as
00:41:54
bad as it's hurting me now
00:41:57
here's the thing too the statement that
00:42:00
she just made that says why didn't he
00:42:02
get the kid before yeah you don't love
00:42:06
that kid no the kid you don't refer to
00:42:08
your kid as the kid why didn't he get
00:42:10
the kid I've never referred to my CH
00:42:12
like what why didn't she go get that the
00:42:14
kid over there like what like no I don't
00:42:18
believe [ __ ] all that you're saying like
00:42:19
we said Carolyn's out for Carolyn yeah
00:42:21
while authorities never believed that
00:42:23
Pedro Vera was involved in his
00:42:24
daughter's kidnapping the charges
00:42:26
against did allege that she had not
00:42:28
acted alone but the documents only named
00:42:31
an unnamed conspirator and no additional
00:42:33
arrests were ever made that's horrifying
00:42:36
CU that's what I'm wondering she was
00:42:37
downstairs
00:42:38
distracting loose exactly somebody came
00:42:41
in that room and stole that child for
00:42:43
her like she was involved obviously but
00:42:45
like she didn't do the ACT herself right
00:42:49
like I'm sure she came kind of thing but
00:42:52
who the [ __ ] was that isn't that
00:42:53
interesting that it's the person is only
00:42:56
name is only like referred to as an
00:42:58
unnamed uh conspirator cuz it's like who
00:43:00
is this person that would go into a
00:43:02
nursery and steal a newborn out of a
00:43:05
window also they had to have a really
00:43:07
compelling story to to be uned in all of
00:43:10
this no that's wild yeah it's weird but
00:43:13
in 2005 Pedro's lawyer Mike Luber told
00:43:16
reporters this woman who is obviously a
00:43:18
pathological this is a woman who is
00:43:19
obviously a pathological liar she has
00:43:21
significant mental problems two of the
00:43:24
psychiatrists have said she is mentally
00:43:25
imbalanced and she obvious L will say
00:43:27
anything to do anything to avoid the
00:43:29
music so to speak yeah she abandoned her
00:43:31
children to he said the one thing she
00:43:33
hasn't said is the truth who the real
00:43:34
conspirator is that's so weird isn't
00:43:37
that weird that's so weird and I just
00:43:40
there's not enough information about the
00:43:42
case to to point fingers and obviously
00:43:45
I'm not going to point fingers not going
00:43:46
to speculate like I wish I could
00:43:48
speculate on my own yeah but there's not
00:43:50
enough there's just not enough for her
00:43:52
part Carolyn has always talked to her
00:43:54
story and maintained her maintained her
00:43:56
innocence she said I feel it's unfair I
00:43:58
raised her for six years and instead of
00:44:00
saying I want my child back saying this
00:44:02
woman kidnapped my kid well I
00:44:04
didn't I'm that's Carolyn who's saying
00:44:08
it's unfair I raised her instead of
00:44:10
saying I want my child back saying this
00:44:12
woman kid not my kid cuz she's saying
00:44:14
they should have said like I want my kid
00:44:16
back cuz I gave it to I gave my kid to
00:44:18
you voluntarily and now I want it
00:44:21
back wow and she's like instead they're
00:44:24
saying I kidnapped this child or this
00:44:26
kid this kid yeah uh instead she
00:44:29
believes once Pedro learned that she had
00:44:31
lost her baby in December of 1997 he
00:44:34
decided to hand his own child over to
00:44:37
her I don't know about that according to
00:44:40
the Philadelphia Daily News her medical
00:44:42
records actually show no sign of her
00:44:44
having been pregnant at the time or
00:44:46
giving birth to a stillborn baby as she
00:44:48
claims but she has stuck to that story
00:44:51
when in all reality records indicate
00:44:53
that she actually had a tubal liation in
00:44:55
1990
00:44:57
wow so like I don't I don't know a lot
00:45:00
about that surgery I don't know if it's
00:45:01
reversible but I know even when people
00:45:05
do try to get like their tubes untied it
00:45:07
it depletes your chances
00:45:09
of getting pregnant it can be reversed
00:45:12
by another operation only about 50 to
00:45:15
80% of women are able to become pregnant
00:45:17
after having their Fallopian tubes
00:45:19
reattached that's what I figured like I
00:45:20
know some like a surgeries like that
00:45:23
claim to be reversible but a lot of it's
00:45:25
a lower chance it's a much lower chance
00:45:27
so who's to say yeah but in her version
00:45:30
of events Carolyn went to the house that
00:45:32
day to give Pedro a ride to a friend's
00:45:34
house to buy drugs she said meanwhile
00:45:37
like they were like no she showed up
00:45:38
asking to for her breaks to be fixed but
00:45:41
she said after she dropped him off she
00:45:43
returned to loose at the house just
00:45:44
before the fire started once the fire
00:45:46
started she helped loose get all the
00:45:48
three other get all the other children
00:45:50
out of the house before returning to the
00:45:52
friend's house to pick up Pedro and tell
00:45:54
him what happened but um that couldn't
00:45:56
have been true because First Responders
00:45:58
at the scene told Pedro what happened
00:45:59
when he got back yeah she alleged all
00:46:02
the way back to the house he said it's
00:46:04
my fault I cut the wires and the heater
00:46:06
and did something and when they got near
00:46:08
the house she claims he asked her to
00:46:10
drop him about a block away from the
00:46:12
house and a few minutes later he
00:46:14
returned to the car and handed her the
00:46:16
baby what so he got the baby out of the
00:46:20
fire that I'm like what do you that
00:46:22
doesn't make any sense
00:46:25
whatsoever no the fire started so you
00:46:29
drove him to his friend's house to quote
00:46:30
unquote buy drugs then you went back to
00:46:32
luc's house and then the fire happened
00:46:36
and nobody knew where the baby was and
00:46:38
the baby was already missing from her
00:46:39
crib and then you left to go get Pedro
00:46:44
and then Pedro said oh no that's my
00:46:47
fault thank you for helping my family
00:46:50
out of the fire here's my baby who I
00:46:53
found after the fire even though no
00:46:55
firefighters could find ever heard what
00:46:58
anyway she continued I took her home
00:47:00
laid down next to her and played played
00:47:02
with her from then on she was mine and
00:47:04
no one questioned it uh except multiple
00:47:07
people for six entire years what the
00:47:09
[ __ ] no one questioned it baby what the
00:47:11
[ __ ] are you talking about it's
00:47:13
documented that people have questioned
00:47:15
it literally documented as the trial
00:47:17
neared Carolyn agreed to plead no
00:47:19
contest to the charges and in late
00:47:21
September 2005 she was sentenced to 9 to
00:47:23
30 years in prison for the abduction
00:47:26
after the sentence was passed she
00:47:27
addressed the court saying I truly
00:47:28
believe I need counseling your honor I
00:47:30
want to apologize to the family and the
00:47:32
court for all of this
00:47:34
confusion all of this confusion hey I'm
00:47:38
glad you're saying you need counseling
00:47:39
cuz like 10 out of 10 agree check out
00:47:42
better help uh
00:47:45
confusion you talk to a therapist about
00:47:49
calling that confusion cuz I don't know
00:47:50
about that yeah but in response judge uh
00:47:53
judge Pamela Demi called Carolyn's
00:47:54
remarks breathtakingly short of the
00:47:57
yeah and said and what I'm hearing in
00:47:59
your voice still is an angry desire to
00:48:01
put a lot of their responsibility on
00:48:02
someone else I can't imagine letting
00:48:04
another parent believed that their child
00:48:06
had been burned to death that's the
00:48:07
other thing it's like you didn't just
00:48:09
kidnap this child and this child was
00:48:12
like missing like they were just like
00:48:14
which would be devastating enough to
00:48:17
think that somebody just kidnapped your
00:48:18
child they were led to believe that she
00:48:21
burned to death in her crib to the point
00:48:23
where there was literally nothing left
00:48:26
nothing for them to do a memorial
00:48:28
nothing nothing and they also remember
00:48:30
couldn't even have her legally declared
00:48:32
dead so there was no headstone to visit
00:48:34
nothing nothing wow nothing in addition
00:48:38
to the prison sentence the judge ordered
00:48:40
Caroline to serve a 5-year probation
00:48:42
sentence and to never have contact with
00:48:44
any of the victims ever again now the
00:48:47
process of restoring custody to of the
00:48:50
child to her parents like we were saying
00:48:51
earlier was a very slow and very
00:48:54
difficult one a court awarded shared
00:48:56
custody to both loose and Pedro but it
00:48:59
was agreed that her primary residence
00:49:01
would be with loose and for the sake of
00:49:03
their daughter Pedro and loose maintain
00:49:05
a c a cordial relationship good Pedro's
00:49:07
lawyer said this child already has a
00:49:09
fragile psyche if we get into custody in
00:49:11
visitation battles it's going to get
00:49:12
messy that was really good of them
00:49:15
though to like put their own [ __ ] aside
00:49:17
which like I imagine is hard to do
00:49:19
anyways in that scenario yeah absolutely
00:49:22
it's like to make sure you're putting
00:49:23
her in her wellbeing first absolutely
00:49:27
um finally while they always referred to
00:49:29
their daughter as Delmar like I was
00:49:30
saying earlier both loose and Pedro
00:49:32
agreed to continue calling the Girl
00:49:34
Aaliyah so does not to disrupt or
00:49:36
confuse her any further cuz remember she
00:49:38
was 6 years old when she was reunited
00:49:41
with them like six years she's been
00:49:43
Aaliyah in late March of 2004 less than
00:49:46
less than a month after Aaliyah was
00:49:48
returned to them Luc and Pedro sold the
00:49:49
rights to their story for um a movie and
00:49:52
a book to the Larry a Thompson
00:49:54
organization a company known for
00:49:55
producing made for TV movies and in 2008
00:49:59
if this entire thing has been sounding
00:50:00
like a lifetime movie to you it became
00:50:02
one it became one the Lifetime network
00:50:04
premiered little girl lost the Delmar
00:50:06
Vera story and the family and Angel crw
00:50:08
agreed it was an accurate and respectful
00:50:11
depiction of their story so that's great
00:50:13
yeah in August 2006 both parents Pedra
00:50:16
and loose filed a civil suit against the
00:50:18
city of Philadelphia including the
00:50:19
Philadelphia Fire Department wow
00:50:21
alleging that several City and law
00:50:23
enforcement officials had violated their
00:50:25
quote Federal statutory right under the
00:50:27
national child search assistance Act of
00:50:29
1990 and their 14th Amendment right by
00:50:32
failing to conduct a proper search for
00:50:33
Delmar I during and after the fire the
00:50:37
court was sympathetic to the complaints
00:50:38
lodged by loose and Pedro But ultimately
00:50:41
it dismissed the complaint writing after
00:50:44
much analysis with and with considerable
00:50:46
appreciation for the professional skills
00:50:48
of several of the council involved in
00:50:50
this wrenching case that has no doubt
00:50:51
caused many heads to shake and wonder at
00:50:54
its occurrence and many sympathetic
00:50:55
Helping Hands to be extended to the
00:50:57
people involved for the reasons
00:50:58
discussed below the Motions to dismiss
00:51:00
the complaint will be granted so they
00:51:03
did so with sympathy which was nice yeah
00:51:05
like they didn't just say like [ __ ] that
00:51:07
and I I I think it would have been like
00:51:11
difficult to go through more to prove
00:51:13
all of that so it's probably a good
00:51:15
thing exactly so you hope that now
00:51:17
they're all just living peacefully and
00:51:20
that my goodness hope everything is
00:51:22
going well for all of them and that they
00:51:24
wake up on the right side of the bed
00:51:26
every day I hope so I want all good
00:51:28
things for this family honestly cuz it's
00:51:30
like you've been through enough that's
00:51:32
the thing like damn absolutely Bonker
00:51:37
story and the I mean there's pictures of
00:51:39
them now together and everything and
00:51:42
they look so happy and adorable and that
00:51:45
makes you so happy that's awesome what a
00:51:47
wild story though I was just looking for
00:51:50
true crime stories that weren't like uh
00:51:52
you know like the typical kind of thing
00:51:54
yeah and this one had a happy ending
00:51:56
that made me happy wow that's wow that
00:52:00
was a wild story that I have not heard
00:52:03
ofay czy never heard it before I started
00:52:06
looking up I think I think I literally
00:52:08
wrote true crime stories with a happy
00:52:09
ending yeah I love that because you're
00:52:11
just like I just want one I just needed
00:52:13
one I would like one now so yeah that is
00:52:16
one of the craziest cases I think we've
00:52:17
ever covered truly and I'm happy that it
00:52:19
had a happy ending for that family I
00:52:22
hope you guys enjoyed it I hope they're
00:52:23
thriving I hope they're thriving they
00:52:25
look like they are yeah they look so
00:52:27
happy yeah and we hope you keep
00:52:29
listening and we hope you keep it weird
00:52:33
but not so weird that you ever kidnap a
00:52:34
baby out of their crib and lie about it
00:52:37
cuz don't listen to the show if you do
00:52:39
that don't and just don't do that don't
00:52:41
do that bye
00:52:45
[Music]
00:52:52
[Music]
00:53:12
[Music]

Badges

This episode stands out for the following:

  • 90
    Most heartwarming
  • 90
    Biggest twist
  • 85
    Most shocking
  • 85
    Best concept / idea

Episode Highlights

  • The Fire Incident
    A tragic fire leads to the disappearance of a newborn, Delmar Vera.
    “My baby, my baby!”
    @ 07m 49s
    August 05, 2024
  • A Mother's Instinct
    Loose believes her daughter is still alive despite being told otherwise.
    “I always knew that my daughter did not die in that fire.”
    @ 11m 46s
    August 05, 2024
  • The Reunion
    Loose spots a girl resembling her daughter at a family party, igniting hope.
    “Those dimples were all the DNA I needed to be certain.”
    @ 15m 12s
    August 05, 2024
  • The Struggle of Identity
    Aaliyah, raised by Carolyn, faces a shocking revelation about her true identity after six years.
    “You can't just run up to her and be like, 'I think you're my kid.'”
    @ 19m 45s
    August 05, 2024
  • The Arrest of Carolyn
    Carolyn turns herself in after the DNA results confirm her guilt in the kidnapping case.
    “The arrest was a welcome news to Luc and her family.”
    @ 31m 56s
    August 05, 2024
  • The Complexity of Family Dynamics
    Family members grapple with the shocking truth of Carolyn's actions and the impact on Aaliyah.
    “My question is where is the child she and I had together?”
    @ 37m 17s
    August 05, 2024
  • Carolyn's Troubling Past
    Carolyn had a history of legal troubles, including arson and fraud. "Wow, Carolyn once an arsonist, always an arsonist."
    “Wow, Carolyn once an arsonist, always an arsonist.”
    @ 38m 28s
    August 05, 2024
  • The Unbelievable Kidnapping Story
    Carolyn claimed she was handed a baby after a fire, leading to years of deception. "What the [ __ ]? No one questioned it?"
    “What the [ __ ]? No one questioned it?”
    @ 47m 09s
    August 05, 2024
  • Aaliyah's Return
    After six years, Aaliyah was reunited with her biological parents, who prioritized her well-being. "I hope they're thriving!"
    “I hope they're thriving!”
    @ 52m 23s
    August 05, 2024

Episode Quotes

  • My baby, my baby!
    The Disappearance of Delimar Vera | Morbid | Podcast
  • I always knew that my daughter did not die in that fire.
    The Disappearance of Delimar Vera | Morbid | Podcast
  • You can't scare her, you can't make her question her whole upbringing.
    The Disappearance of Delimar Vera | Morbid | Podcast
  • She could do that now with the kids inside.
    The Disappearance of Delimar Vera | Morbid | Podcast
  • That's attempted murder!
    The Disappearance of Delimar Vera | Morbid | Podcast
  • What the [ __ ]? No one questioned it?
    The Disappearance of Delimar Vera | Morbid | Podcast

Key Moments

  • Fire Tragedy07:49
  • Identifying Aaliyah15:12
  • Carolyn's Arrest31:56
  • Guilt and Confusion37:39
  • Arson Charges38:25
  • Questionable Claims39:33
  • Unbelievable Story41:21
  • Court Sentencing47:21

Words per Minute Over Time

Vibes Breakdown