A number of people who’ve long been searching for missing loved ones stopped at the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office on Saturday afternoon.
“You wonder where she is,” said Belen Rivera, whose daughter hasn’t been seen since 2020. “She’s no longer in this world, but I want to put her to rest.”
Rivera told NBC Chicago that her daughter, Angelisa Rivera-Ruiz, was 24 years old when she was last seen at Walmart in suburban Zion.
“Her last footage, she left the Walmart. She must have had a breakdown due to COVID stress,” the mother explained. “She ran into the local woods with no coat, and it was November.”
Rivera said investigators searched the woods but didn’t find any signs of her daughter. Given the weather at the time, she doesn’t believe her daughter is still alive.
“In my heart, I know that she’s probably in heaven,” she said. “She believed in God, so I have that faith that she’s with God.”
Rivera’s pain was felt as she and others sought assistance from police, county officials and local agencies. The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office hosted its fourth “Missing Persons Day” to connect families with resources to assist with their search.
“It can be very daunting for families that are going through a lot of pain,” said Cook County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Ponni Arunkumar. “But if they come here, they can take all the steps; we have staff to walk them through all the steps that are needed.”
Multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Chicago Police Department and Illinois State Police were on hand. Families were able to file reports as well as submit medical records, pictures, and even DNA samples.
“This is a service that the community needs, and we’re very grateful that we can get all these agencies together on this day to help the families,” said Arunkumar.
Pete Farfan submitted his brother’s information and registered with the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System to see if a match could be made.
His brother, Romeo Farfan, was last seen on Feb. 29 in the 800 block of North Francisco Avenue in Chicago’s West Town neighborhood. Pete Farfan feared that a man found dead on Tuesday at North Avenue Beach could be his brother.
“There was no ID given yet. Well, who he is? We need to know,” he said. “Fifty-fifty the description of this individual matches who I’m looking for; now it may not be that person or it may be, but I…need to know to move forward from here.”
As he and other families waited for answers, they knew they weren’t alone in the search.
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office said two people were identified as a result of this year’s event.