Online DNA Test Led Family to Long-Lost Aunt Who Had Been Murdered for 45 Years

Crime

In 1976, Evelyn Colon got pregnant at just 15 years old by her 19 year old boyfriend, Luis Sierra.

Miriam Colon-Veltman, Evelyn’s niece, said, “It was a different culture, a different time, in the 70s. You get your girlfriend pregnant, you move out, and that’s how it is.”

So, that’s what they did. Evelyn and Luis moved into an apartment together. Evelyn’s mother stayed in touch with her and would often visit her and Luis to see how they were doing. But one day when she went to visit her daughter, nobody answered the door.

Family members said that Luis sent them a letter saying he and Evelyn were fine, but no longer wanted any contact with the family. The family believed Evelyn truly wanted to start a new life with Luis and her child. They never heard from her again.

But Evelyn’s family was completely unaware that her dead body was discovered in 1976. It would remain unidentified for 45 years. According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), Evelyn’s body was dismembered and placed in three separate suitcases on the banks of the Lehigh River. Evelyn’s unborn daughter was removed from her body and placed in one of the suitcases.

Investigators named the remains “Beth Doe” until last month when they confirmed the identity as Evelyn Colon. They arrested her boyfriend of the time, Luis Sierra, who is now 63. He was charged with one count of criminal homicide. A statement from the Pennsylvania State Police said, “numerous interviews and investigational processes were conducted following her identification which led to the development of a suspect.”

Evelyn’s niece and nephew told CNN that they never thought anything this gruesome happened to their aunt. The family thought that letter sent from Luis all those years ago was true. Still, her family tried to get in touch with her throughout the years, thinking she was alive with a family of her own the whole time.

Evelyn’s nephew said he searched for his long-lost aunt using the internet and social media platforms like Facebook. When that failed, he submitted his DNA to several ancestry sites to see if he could connect with his aunt or cousins, thinking Evelyn had had children.

He was able to find distant cousins, but never his aunt or her child. Until one day.

“I get notified that, ‘hey, your DNA was matched to a victim of a homicide. So we got in touch and they asked me, ‘do you know anyone in your family?’ and I immediately, once they reached out to me, I knew it was her,” Evelyn’s nephew said.

Even though it wasn’t the ending they had hoped for, Evelyn’s family is relieved they finally have some closure about what happened to her after all these years.

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