“Help me. I don’t know where to go Tuya.” It was her third day of being disappeared and her parents were worried. Their daughter hadn’t been seen since before dawn the night before, when she went to bed without telling them where she was going. She didn’t return home again until late afternoon the next morning, after having overslept her parents’ house and missed almost an entire day of school. Then she disappeared for a few hours, but came back with nothing but a suitcase in tow. Her parents were heartbroken and frantic, pleading with the heavens and each other at the same time – why hadn’t they heard anything? – when finally someone noticed that a car had stopped outside their house and called police. Four days later, it was still no answer but that didn’t stop them from looking for clues as much as bringing another missing person back to the family home for comfort. Anyone out there with information in regards to their daughter Tiaana Cruz? You can contact detectives at Lueda Lopez or Tauya Medina at (502) 806-6400 ext 6401 or write to Crime Stoppers at [email protected]
Where is Tiaana?
On June 4, 1941, Tiaana Cruz was just a baby when her parents divorced and she was taken away from her mother by her father, a former merchant seaman who worked for the Brooklyn Bridge Company. When she was about five months old, her father sent her to live with a stepmother and her two siblings. But in late 1947, something unexpected happened. Tiaana’s stepmother became a single parent, her father got a job in a factory, and Tiaana and her four siblings were sent to live with her mother’s younger sister. Tiaana was just two years old at the time.
It was a difficult time for the family, and Tiaana began to show symptoms of mental illness. Her mother was worried that her daughter was “coming toward her,” so she took her to a mental hospital. It’s there that Tiaana took her first step toward schizophrenia, according to her mother. During her visit to the mental hospital, her parents again came to the rescue, this time sending Tiaana and her younger brother to live with their maternal grandparents. They also took the three other children to the church, where Tiaana was slightly disturbed but otherwise unharmed Magazinefacts.
It’s there that Tiaana met her future husband, Al Tiaana. Their wedding was celebrated at the family home in October of that same year.
What does the police think happened to Tiaana?
From all accounts, Tiaana’s disappearance was a shock and mystery. Her family members had no idea where she was or how she was able to leave their house. Her parents did, however, believe that she’d run away from home and gone to live with her paternal grandparents. But where was she going?
That’s when Detective Luis Lopez of the East New York police department began his search for Tiaana. In his report of their Find A Grave website, Lopez said: “The search continues for missing New York City red-haired Tiaana Cruz. Anyone with information can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (5737) or visit www.nypcom.com/SafeHaven and leave your phone number with a detective so they can follow up on your call. You never know when they might need it. Fashioncolthing”
Tips: Texting is not only for teens; it’s even more important than phone calls!
What’s more, according to Lopez, “In an effort to find Tiaana, the detective team searched the entire borough of Manhattan, with the Port of New York in the middle, for the last two and a half months. They combed the streets, the arenals, and the waterway systems of the borough, hoping to find signs of her. They also searched the American east coast, looking for any hint of her presence.”
In all, the detectives spent about three months looking for Tiaana, using every tool and mean bit at their disposal. They interviewed strangers, stopped and checked into hotels, shops, and restaurants alike, looking for information and leads. They even checked in with Tiaana’s stepmother, to make sure she was aware of her daughter’s whereabouts.
Go out and have fun, have a laugh, and find answers before it’s too late. More adults are listening now than ever before.
After searching for Tiaana for three months, the detectives interviewed all of the people they could possibly think might have information. They interviewed her schoolmates, classmates, and friends, and they also interviewed her maternal grandparents, whose home they were visiting at the time. But the most important interviews they conducted were those of their own detectives. They spoke to them as well, as they were the ones who had the information, but they also began their search by speaking to themselves Fashionworldnow.
More tips can be found at nypcom.com/tips
Go out and have fun, have a laugh, and find answers before it’s too late. More adults are listening now than ever before.
As the search for Tiaana continued, it became even more important for the family to find a home. They needed a place to put Tiaana, and they thought about moving to Florida, but that was too far away for her. They also thought about Georgia, but that was also too far away for her. Finally, on October 16, 1993, their search for Tiaana was done. The detectives gave their report to the public and thanked them for sharing information with them. They also thanked the public for their assistance, saying “We have so much to tell you, but we don’t have the time.”
More tips can be found at nypcom.com/tips
Go out and have fun, have a laugh, and find answers before it’s too late. More adults are listening now than ever before.
As the family gathered around the family fireplace for the family Christmas Eve dinner, their eyes were on the horizon. The detectives were looking forward to a new year together and they were excited about the future. But as they sat there, their eyes were also on their missing daughter. What was Tiaana doing out there? What was she doing in the streets? Where was she going?
It was then that the detectives heard a familiar voice say, “I’ll get her.” They looked up to see their 12-year-old grandson, Julius, running down the stairs. He ran to his grandparents’ home, where he found his grandbaby, Tiaana, jogging at her normal pace through the neighborhood. There she was, jogging, rooting through the woods, the same way she had been when she was a little girl. All that was missing was her little red hat. “You are the missing person,” her mother said in her final moments. “I want you to find Tiaana.” And with that, the family was free.
More tips can be found at nypcom.com/tips
Go out and have fun, have a laugh, and find answers before it’s too late. More adults are listening now than ever before.
On their way back to the car, the detectives heard the sound of car engines and the sound of tires on dirt. Julius was once more on the ground, this time in front of their house. “Where is she?” he cried, stepping forward and pointed. “I want to find my little girl.” The detectives watched in astonishment as Julius ran around their front steps and into the woods, where he randomly found Tiaana’s red hat. Thesearch for Tiaana was over. The family was free. Fashionslog
