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The search for Reyes went cold, but Reyes-Couvertier never gave up hope. Years later, news finally came: a detective who had renewed the investigation in 2023 discovered that Reyes, now 27, was living in Mexico, and DNA testing would confirm they were father and daughter.

Now the two are hoping to meet in-person soon after talking on the phone and messaging. Reyes-Couvertier spoke at a news conference Wednesday in New Haven with police, FBI agents and others.

“It was a moment of joy,� the father, now 55, said about reconnecting with his daughter for the first time in more than 25 years. “We have some sense of happiness, but the chapter is not closed yet. There’s a lot of steps that we have to take.�

Reyes was in Mexico and was not present Wednesday. A message seeking comment was sent to an Instagram account for an Andrea Reyes who lives in Puebla, Mexico, southeast of Mexico City, where authorities say Reyes-Couvertier's daughter now resides.

Reyes-Couvertier, a second-grade teacher in New Haven, had legal custody of Reyes. After she disappeared, New Haven police worked with the FBI to try to find her. City police obtained an arrest warrant for Tenorio for alleged felony custodial interference. The warrant is still valid today, but only within the U.S., authorities said.

In the spring of 2000, officials in Puebla notified authorities in Connecticut that Reyes and her mother had been located, but they declined to take any action, New Haven police said. Mexican officials said they did not consider parental kidnapping an extraditable offense under a treaty between Mexico and the U.S., police said.

The case eventually went cold, despite multiple visits to Mexico by Reyes-Couvertier, investigative work by New Haven police and the FBI and efforts by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

In 2023, New Haven Detective Kealyn Nivakoff renewed the investigation, as part of her work focusing on missing persons in the department's Special Victims Unit. Officials said Nivakoff identified a woman in Puebla she believed could be Reyes-Couvertier's daughter and contacted her, through the use of search warrants, interviews and social media.

Working with the DNA testing company Othram, Nivakoff persuaded Reyes to send in a DNA sample, and a comparison with a sample provided by Reyes-Couvertier confirmed they were father and daughter, police said.

Nivakoff said she believed from the outset that there was a good probability of solving the case.

“I’m really pleased with the outcome. At the same time, for us as a police department, this might be closure on our end but it’s certainly not closure on their part. This is really just the beginning of a whole healing process for them,� she said.

Neither Nivakoff nor Reyes-Couvertier would discuss specific communications with Reyes.

Reyes-Couvertier, who was New Haven's Teacher of the Year for 2017, and his wife, Lucia Rafala, thanked police, federal authorities and missing persons groups for all their help.

“After 25 years, God has answered our prayers and blessed us with the chance to know her again,� Rafala said. “We recognize that this reacquaintance will have challenges. However, we are confident that God is building the path before us and leading our steps.�

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children is helping to prepare the father and daughter for an in-person reunion, said John Bischoff III, vice president for the center's missing children division.

“As you can imagine, it’s a very emotional time for the family,� Bischoff said in a phone interview. “He found his daughter that he had not seen, not spoken with for 25 years.�

One task for setting up the reunion is finding an appropriate place for them to meet that will be comfortable for both of them, he said. Another is helping them through the range of emotions from such a traumatic separation long ago, he said.

“It’s absolutely going to be, I’m sure, a scary time for everyone involved," Bischoff said. “A lot of unknowns. But it’s all positive in the end because she’s been found.�