Imagine facing your worst nightmare - a house fire that takes the life of your 10-day-old daughter. For Philadelphia parents Luz Cuevas and Pedro Vera, this became a devastating reality on 15th December 1997.
After the fire, authorities concluded that baby Delimar had tragically died in the flames, despite Luz’s insistence that her daughter was not in the crib when the blaze erupted.
This article explores the events of that night and the shocking revelations that surfaced years later.
The fire
After a brief investigation into the tragedy, the fire department claimed an overheated extension cord attached to a space heater was the main culprit for the housefire. They claimed that the fire had killed newborn Delimar Vera who was sleeping upstairs. The baby’s death was declared an accident, with her parents being informed by officials that her remains had been destroyed in the fire.
With Delimar’s remains unfound, her parents remained sceptical of the explanation. Luz continued to believe her daughter did not die in the fire, and instead suspected she had been kidnapped.
When Luz ran into the room to save her daughter, the little girl was nowhere to be seen, so she ran out of the house to safety after the smoke became too overwhelming. The smoke and fire caused injuries to Luz’s face, but she and her two other children narrowly escaped the burning building with their lives.
Six years later
Six years after the fire, Luz was at a party of an acquaintance. It was here that she ran into Carolyn Correa, Pedro Vera’s cousin by marriage. Having not seen Carolyn in several years, Luz was surprised to see her with a daughter named Aaliyah.
Luz was shocked at Aaliyah’s resemblance to her other children and thought it was odd that she had no recollection of Correa ever being pregnant. Her years of relentlessly searching for answers about her daughter’s disappearance were about to come to fruition.
A while later, Luz told the little girl that she had gum in her hair. This was a ploy to obtain strands of Aaliyah’s hair, which she then took to the Philadelphia police department for DNA testing.
After DNA tests were undertaken, it was confirmed that the little girl was in fact Luz’s biological daughter, Delimar.
According to sources, Pedro had seen Aaliyah at several family events and always thought there was a resemblance to his other children, but his concerns were never followed up.
The kidnapping
It later emerged that Correa had met Luz Cuevas the day before the housefire on 14th December 1997. The following day, Correa returned to the house claiming she had left her purse upstairs – and left shortly before the fire began. Initially, there was little evidence to suggest any foul play.
However, after being confronted by the police, Correa fled her home, abandoning her children. When she was eventually apprehended, she confessed to kidnapping Delimar and starting the fire. She maintained a slightly different account of the events that occurred but was later sentenced to up to 30 years for the abduction and 13 other counts, including arson.
Overwhelmed with joy
When Luz and Pedro learned the truth their daughter had been alive this whole time, they were said to be crying tears of happiness and told reporters they were ‘overwhelmed with joy’. Both Pedro and Luz were hopeful that they would be reunited with their daughter very soon.
Due to the sensitive nature of the situation and Delimar’s young age, reuniting Delimar and her biological parents took some time. Although no longer together, Luz and Pedro put up a united front for the sake of their daughter – whom they decided would remain named ‘Aaliyah’. This was to ensure she would eventually settle into her new environment and didn’t have to adjust to a different name. Aaliyah had not seen her parents since she was kidnapped at 10 days old.
