The New York City police has finally cracked Baby Hope's case after 22 years, arresting the victim's killer cousin.
The identity of Baby Hope has been a mystery for over two decades but now police have arrested Conrado Juarez, the cousin of the four year victim, who also admitted sexually assaulting and smothering her.
The police have now traced down Baby Hope's mother in Washington after re-releasing a sketch of Baby Hope in July this year. They have also obtained the birth certificate that identifies the child as Angelica Castillo. However, information such as the date and place of birth has not been revealed by the police.
Baby Hope was found murdered 22 years ago by construction workers and her body was found stuffed in a cooler near the Henry Hudson Parkway in the summer of 1991. Angelica was buried at St. Raymond's Cemetery in The Bronx in 1993 by the officers who investigated her death.
A tipster who knows Angelica's sister, saw the flier and came forward to the police. Baby Hope's sister, who is now in her 20s, told investigators that she remembers traveling to Mexico with her father after leaving her sister (Angelica) with her mother. The sister claims that she never saw Angelica again.
The mother of Angelica, who is an immigrant from Mexico, told police that she was afraid to contact authorities about her daughter's death because she was afraid of her husband. The mother also claims that Angelica's dad disappeared with her in 1991.
Angelica's father, who is currently believed to be in Mexico, is also under investigation. Police think that the father was also involved in the murder of Baby Hope.
The Police Commissioner, Ray Kelly, applauded his department's hard work in Baby Hope's murder case 22 years ago.
"This has been an investigation that has been conducted for the last 22 years, and the detectives in the 34th Precinct Detective Squad and Cold Case Squad did great work. And I'm proud of them," said Kelly to the New York Post.
