Norma Licona Morales
Norma, circa 2007; Dafne Morales
- Missing Since 02/24/2007
- Missing From Dallas, Texas
- Classification Endangered Missing
- Sex Female
- Race Hispanic
- Date of Birth 11/16/1974 (48)
- Age 32 years old
- Height and Weight 5'3, 150 pounds
- Clothing/Jewelry Description A black sleeveless shirt, gray pants and large loop earrings.
- Distinguishing Characteristics Hispanic female. Black hair, brown eyes. Norma's ears are pierced.
Details of Disappearance
Norma disappeared with her eight-month-old daughter, Dafne Destiny Morales, from Dallas, Texas on February 24, 2007. A photograph of the baby is posted with this case summary. Norma and Dafne were last seen outside their apartment in the 3600 block of Bolivar Drive. They were supposed to meet Norma's estranged boyfriend at 1:30 a.m. but never arrived.
24 hours later, Dafne was found abandoned on a porch in Matamoros, Mexico. She had been left there with a baby carriage, blanket, baby food and juice, but there was no note or any other clue as to her identity. She was alive and unharmed, suffering only from a cold.
The infant was given to social workers and nicknamed Estrellita, which means "little star" in Spanish. Media appeals were issued to help identify her, and Norma's loved ones heard about it and thought Estrellita might be Dafne. Her identity was confirmed by DNA testing in April, and she was given to Norma's parents. There was no sign of Dafne's mother, however, and Norma has never been heard from again.
Authorities initially believed Norma voluntarily took Dafne home to her native Mexico, but now they suspect foul play was involved in Norma's disappearance. She is described as a responsible person who would never have voluntarily abandoned her daughter or left without warning. She left behind her car and other belongings.
At the time of her disappearance, Norma was living in the United States illegally and working in the Dallas area. Her parents live near Mexico City in the Mexican state of Hidalgo. Her case remains unsolved.
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2 articles from 2007
The first article says they were investigating a body found in the Rio Grande. I couldn't find anymore information about that investigation but it clearly wasn't Norma.
The second article doesn't mention anything about the body in the Rio Grande but does say that the disappearance points to Norma's husband who she was separated from.
Links provided for the full story
Authorities believe a body found floating in the Rio Grande last week might be Norma Morales. The Cameron County Sheriff's Department has said that preliminary autopsy results show no sign of trauma on the woman's body, but deputies found a brick tied to her left leg with a rope.
"She was dead by the time she was thrown in the river," Sheriff
Omar Lucio said in today's editions of The Brownsville Herald. "We don't know exactly what was the cause of death."
The woman, believed to have been in her 20s or 30s, was thrown into the river around April 8 and was found on Friday, Lucio said.
The disappearance of Daphne Destiny Morales and her mother is being investigated by the Dallas police. The investigations point to her father, the Nicaraguan Yarvin Dávila Gallardo, who could have kidnapped them, did something to his partner and then crossed the border to abandon the girl in the Section 16 neighborhood.
"Detectives (from the United States) are investigating, but there is testimony from my sister's friends that my brother-in-law - from whom he was already separated because he did not want to acknowledge Didi's paternity - called her that night; she arrived at the apartment (
of the husband) with the baby and then nobody saw them again.
Noticias del diario mexicano La Jornada
www.jornada.com.mx
