Likely remains of teen missing 25 years found in Texas
WHARTON, Texas — Wharton County officials and search volunteers believe they have located the remains of a 15-year-old girl missing for 25 years.
On Nov. 24, 1990, Rosemary Diaz left work at a country food store near her home in Danevang, Texas, about 70 miles southwest of Houston. The El Campo High School student never was seen again, but her car remained parked outside the store.
Officials followed every lead in the past 2½ decades, but their search turned up no hard evidence of her apparent abduction. Then on Tuesday, after a tip from the family of a suspect in her death, they discovered bone fragments and personal effects that they think are hers.
"We got lucky," Texas EquuSearch founder Tim Miller said. "We found a ring. We all cried."
The tip led Wharton County deputies to property that the suspect's family owned in a neighboring county.
Miller and search Coordinator Jack Boggess met with investigators earlier this month after they asked for help in the case. During the first day of their search Monday, they found bone fragments believed to be human.
The next day, investigators returned to the search site and performed an excavation where they found more remains and other evidence thought to be Rosemary's. A ring found near the remains resembles one given in 1990 to the teen for her quinceañera, a coming-of-age celebration for Latinas for their 15th birthday.
Investigators and a forensic anthropologist still need to make a positive identification. Rosemary's sisters and mother said they're almost certain that she's been found.
"That's when my heart just sank," said Irma Diaz, Rosemary's sister. "I know it's her. This is not the outcome we were hoping for."
The suspect in the abduction also died several months ago, officials said at a news conference earlier this week. They did not release his name.
He was in his 20s at the time of Diaz's abduction from the store, the Houston Chronicle reported. Robbery did not appear to be a motive, and the crime appears to be one of opportunity.
It's not clear that the man was ever considered a suspect when Diaz first disappeared.
The man made partial confessions to family members through the years, sheriff's Sgt. Scott Grosser said. After the suspect died, the man's family pieced together what they had been told.
"They weren't sure what they knew," Grosser said. "No one person had the full story."
"Figured she would show up, figured probably she ran away with her boyfriend or something because it happens," said Kenny Christensen, a lifelong Danevang resident. "Then it kept dragging on and dragging on. You start to wonder."
Forensic tests must be conducted to confirm that the remains are from the teen. They will be sent for further forensic testing to determine just how she may have died.
Rosemary's family now wants to give her the peace she deserves.
"We just want to lay her to rest," Diaz said. "My mother says a weight has been lifted on her shoulders. Now she can finally lay her daughter to rest."
Contributing: The Associated Press. Follow Marcelino Benito on Twitter: @MarcelinoKHOU