A woman who was kidnapped at the age of three and raised by her abductors has been reunited with her biological mother after 27 years. Juana was snatched from a park in Mexico City in 1995, and her mother Lorena Ramirez never gave up hope of finding her.
The abduction
Juana was taken in broad daylight from Bosque de Chapultepec, one of Mexico City's largest parks, while her family was saying their goodbyes. Her mother had brought her three children to the park with her husband and sister-in-law when Juana suddenly disappeared.
Juana, who later renamed herself Rocio, recalled feeling someone grab her around the waist as her parents briefly released her hand, before waking up in an unfamiliar house. Her captors gave her a new identity and age, telling her that her birthday was the day she was taken — October 1, 1995 — instead of her real birthday on June 16, three years earlier.
Discovery and reunion
Years later, neighbors of her captors told the young girl that the people she lived with were not her biological parents. After a confrontation, her "mother" claimed she had taken Juana in after finding her wandering alone in the park. Juana said those who stole her treated her "badly," prompting her to flee at age 17 to live with her now-husband.
Encouraged by her husband, Rocio investigated missing persons reports and found a photograph of a girl bearing a striking resemblance to her younger self. "There was such a strong physical resemblance I said to myself 'I'm that girl'," she stated. Yet, with no contact details available, she admitted: "It took me another eight years before deciding to look for my family."
Rocio eventually posted a photograph of herself online. Her sister, Maria Jose, spotted the image and made contact. After connecting online, the family arranged a reunion.
Emotional aftermath
Following their reunion, Lorena said: "I lost a three-year-old child and found a 30-year-old woman. I did not experience those stages of her life, it is a part of her that was stolen from me." She added: "Just imagine, I suffered terribly for 27 years."
Lorena told local press: "I couldn't believe it. When I opened the door, I stopped and she walked in. That hug after 27 years. She saw me and said 'you are my mother'. I replied 'yes, and you are my daughter'. 'Thank you for the opportunity to see you again'."
