The Missing Mom was in Cuba- But Questions Remain
Miami (United States):
Some people count to 10, while others hold a grudge for days.
But when Hildalisa Roig had an apparent spat with her daughter earlier this week inside a Little Havana apartment, the 72-year-old great-grandmother simply hailed a cab to the airport and flew to Cuba, vowing never to come back, Miami Police said Friday.
The problem: She never told anyone she was bolting from the country.
As a result, detectives with the Miami Police Department's Missing Persons Unit spent almost a week circulating Roig's photo throughout the neighborhood and through the media. Roig's daughter, Hilda Duquerne, told police her mom left a handwritten note about 7 a.m. Sunday, in which said she was going to visit a friend.
That puzzled family members, considering Roig had arrived in the United States from Havana only three weeks earlier on a visitor's visa and had not made many friends. Duquerne said Roig had been talking about overstaying her visa and seeking political asylum. But Roig vanished, leaving behind all her clothes and belongings.
Duquerne appeared on several television newscasts this week in tears, begging for the public's help. She toted her mother's photo and the mysterious letter.
The mystery was solved Friday when an employee at Miami International Airport recognized the woman's photo when it was flashed on the noontime news. The employee told police she remembered seeing Roig visiting the C&T Charter Company counter at the airport. Detectives then learned that after Roig presented an airline ticket and a Cuban passport she boarded a plane. She was in Havana by 1 p.m. Sunday.
Police think Duquerne wasn't exactly forthcoming with the entire story.
"Let's just say mom didn't leave because she didn't like it here," police spokesman Delrish Moss said.
Oct 01, 2005
Ihosvani Rodriguez, Sun-Sentinel.com, FL
Miami (United States):
Some people count to 10, while others hold a grudge for days.
But when Hildalisa Roig had an apparent spat with her daughter earlier this week inside a Little Havana apartment, the 72-year-old great-grandmother simply hailed a cab to the airport and flew to Cuba, vowing never to come back, Miami Police said Friday.
The problem: She never told anyone she was bolting from the country.
As a result, detectives with the Miami Police Department's Missing Persons Unit spent almost a week circulating Roig's photo throughout the neighborhood and through the media. Roig's daughter, Hilda Duquerne, told police her mom left a handwritten note about 7 a.m. Sunday, in which said she was going to visit a friend.
That puzzled family members, considering Roig had arrived in the United States from Havana only three weeks earlier on a visitor's visa and had not made many friends. Duquerne said Roig had been talking about overstaying her visa and seeking political asylum. But Roig vanished, leaving behind all her clothes and belongings.
Duquerne appeared on several television newscasts this week in tears, begging for the public's help. She toted her mother's photo and the mysterious letter.
The mystery was solved Friday when an employee at Miami International Airport recognized the woman's photo when it was flashed on the noontime news. The employee told police she remembered seeing Roig visiting the C&T Charter Company counter at the airport. Detectives then learned that after Roig presented an airline ticket and a Cuban passport she boarded a plane. She was in Havana by 1 p.m. Sunday.
Police think Duquerne wasn't exactly forthcoming with the entire story.
"Let's just say mom didn't leave because she didn't like it here," police spokesman Delrish Moss said.
Oct 01, 2005
Ihosvani Rodriguez, Sun-Sentinel.com, FL
