Narrator/Host (3:23)

41 year old Reyna Morales Rojas came to the United States from El Salvador just after Mother's Day in May of 2022, making her home in East Boston. She is a mother of two children, but Reyna had to leave the kids behind with their aunt Rayna's sister Alicia Morales to find work and a better life in Massachusetts until she could be together with her children again. She'd been a police officer back in El Salvador, but in Boston, Rayna worked in food services and catering at Logan International Airport. Being so far away from her family, Rayna stayed in touch with her sister and children almost constantly. November 26, 2022 was no different for Raina and Alicia. They had a long conversation earlier in the day, as they usually did, but when Alicia tried to contact her sister the next morning, she didn't hear back. It immediately struck her as odd. Alicia tried everything to get in touch with her sister that day, texts, WhatsApp, phone calls, but Reyna was radio silent. According to reporting in the Boston Globe by Hannah Krueger and Tiana Woodard, Reyna had two cell phones, one she got for her birthday in October, and her old phone that she still kept active and on despite having a new one. Reyna always wanted to be reachable, so the fact that she wasn't responding to texts or picking up call after call was unusual. Alicia couldn't shake the feeling that something was off, so she reached out to Reyna's boyfriend as well as her landlord. According to Boston Globe columnist Marcella Garcia, who spoke to WBUR's the The Common podcast, Reyna's boyfriend hadn't heard from her since the night before, and he couldn't get in touch with her either. When Alicia spoke to Reyna's landlord, he told her that Reyna never returned home on the night of November 26th. Being in El Salvador and unable to travel to the United States, there was little Alicia could do to track down her sister herself other than keep trying to reach her. But finally, after almost a full day of no contact, Reyna's boyfriend and landlord went into the Boston police Department to report Reyna Morelos Rojas missing on November 27, 2022. Although Reyna was reported missing in November of 2022, her disappearance wasn't made public until January 12, 2023, when Boston Police did release a missing person alert. Rayna's name was at first spelled incorrectly. In the alert, Rayna is described as a Hispanic female, 5 foot 5 inches tall, 145 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. They included several photos of her, each one showing Reyna looking slightly different. She liked to play with her appearance. She had different makeup, hairstyles, and hair colors in each one. Also in the alert, Boston police disclosed that Reyna was last seen getting into a car in the area of Bennington street in East Boston on the evening of November 26, and was later dropped off on Alston street in Somerville. That's about an 8.5 mile distance between each last known location. The first 48 hours after someone goes missing are the most critical. But 46 days passed before Boston police circulated that missing persons alert. Rayna's sister Alicia tried to get police to respond and search for Reyna sooner. They just told her to let them know when she heard from Reyna. But that was the entire issue. Alicia hadn't heard from Reyna and she didn't know how else to get police to understand or care. That not hearing from her sister for so long, not even a text to check in on her kids, was extremely unusual and concerning. Something was wrong and no one seemed to give a damn as Alicia Morales fought to get any attention and answers from Boston police. Telemundo, Boston, a Spanish language Boston news outlet owned by NBCUniversal picked up the story. That's how Lucy Panetta first heard about Reyna's disappearance. Lucy, who is also from El Salvador Lake Reina, is an activist and the executive director of Latinos Unidos and Massachusetts. Also known as Luma. Luma contributes to the development of the Latin American community with their mission of protecting the rights, educating, organizing and empowering the immigrant community in Massachusetts. Two days after Lucy heard the Telemundo news report about Reyna's disappearance, a different news outlet contacted her for comment.

Lucy Panetta (8:21)

One of the English median, they called me and they asked what is Luma doing regarding Reina's case? So I, I asked them if any organization, it's already involved in the case. So they told me that no one was working on the case. So when they told me that, we talked to our members and I said, listen, we need to do something about this case.

Narrator/Host (8:52)

Lucy reached out to Reyna's family to learn more about her. Where she was from, where she lived and worked. Lucy also contacted the chief of police in the city of Everett, where Luma is based. She contacted state representatives and other local leaders to see if anyone knew anything about Reyna's disappearance. But no one had even heard her name. Raina's name hadn't even been added to NAMIS yet, the National Missing and Unidentified Person System database. So Lucy called the Luma community to action. They started posting live videos on social media, alerting their followers about Rayna's disappearance. And they took to the streets looking for her themselves.

Lucy Panetta (9:34)

We went to look for Reyna on those places that we read in the news that she was from East Boston. They pick up her on East Boston and they left in Somerville. So we start looking for her. We organize and we mobilize our members, our volunteers, and our the world community. And we start making live videos and we make a press release to demand to our authorities to take actions. In the case of Reyna Morales Rojas.

Narrator/Host (10:08)

The state of Massachusetts has a one page infosheet available online detailing the recommended missing persons protocol. The first step is to contact local law enforcement and communicate the risks to police so that any urgency is understood. This step includes the parenthetical comment advocacy may be required for police action. Advocacy is what Lucy Panetta does best. She wrote two letters to the Boston Police Department, according to the Boston Globe. Her first One, sent on January 17, received no response from BPD. She sent the second on January 21. It reads in part, it is of grave concern to our community that the authorities have done little to move forward with the investigation of this case until now and without pressure from organizations such as ours. Those letters were accompanied by social media posts and a vigil held in Rayna's honor outside the District A7 East Boston Police station. Luma members held signs with Reyna's face and waved their words on neon posters. Police silence is police complicity and Latino lives matter, they read. Finally, Lucy got the attention of Boston police, and detectives agreed to meet. She planned to attend their scheduled January 25th meeting with attorneys from lawyers for civil rights working pro bono on Lucy and Luma's behalf. But the attorneys later told the Boston Globe that police nearly canceled the meeting when they showed up. Not wanting to lose the opportunity to learn more about what was happening with Reyna's case, Lucy spoke to police without that legal representation. Lucy challenged Boston police on their response to Raina's disappearance and asked why it took so long to publicize her case.

Lucy Panetta (12:05)

When I talked to the detective from East Boston and I asked why are you guys released this case 47 days after when you guys supposed to Release this information 24 hours after or 48 hours after? So why you did this 47 days after? The answer was oh, because right now she don't have no family in here. So it was hard for us to ask for information about her family, her what kind friends or whatever she have in the state.

Narrator/Host (12:43)

But in a public statement to the Boston Globe, the Boston Police Department's Chief of communications, Mary Ellen Burns, alluded that the search started immediately, even if the public wasn't notified for almost two months. The statement reads in part, in our focused efforts to identify her whereabouts, our investigative team regrettably did not share her information publicly until January 12th. Later, in an email statement to Mass Live, Byrne said, quote, it could have and should have been done sooner. End quote. Groons are a convenient comprehensive formula packed into a daily snack pack of gummies that taste great. This isn't a multivitamin, a greens gummy or a prebiotic. It's all of those things and then some. Generic multivitamins only contain around seven to nine vitamins while groons have 20 plus vitamins and minerals and 60 ingredients which include nutrient dense and whole foods. They're vegan, nut free, gluten free, dairy free, have no artificial colors or flavors and are available in low sugar or sugar free. Plus they contain 6 grams of prebiotic fiber which is 3 times the amount of dietary fiber compared to the lean greens, powders and more than two cups of broccoli. Speaking from experience, these gummies actually taste.

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Narrator/Host (15:40)

None of this sat well with Lucy. Within the same few weeks that Raina's disappearance was publicly announced, the disappearances of other Massachusetts women received ample police attention and press coverage. Ana Walsh from Cohasset, Massachusetts, was reported missing by her co workers on January 4, 2023. The very next day, Cohasset police announced their search for Ana. With Massachusetts State Police joining the effort days later, the story made national headlines and took over the news cycle. Brittany T. From Brookfield, Massachusetts, was reported missing by her family on January 13, 2023. Within three days, her disappearance was made public and state police joined the search effort within the same week. Another Massachusetts woman, Lori Baxter, was last heard from on December 28, 2022. Though her case does not appear to be nearly as widely publicized as Brittany T. Or Anna Walsh, the first public announcements of the search for Lori Baxter were made public within two weeks of her last known contact. One clear difference between the cases of these three women and Reyna Morales Rojas. The three women are white.

Lucy Panetta (16:56)

You know, I feel like this, this was, this is, this is racist because the way they treat the people when they went to report Reina, I think they feel like, oh, okay, she's a Latino, she's undocumented, nobody know what's going on with her or whatever. In the same month, four women was missing. Three women was white and one was a Latino. And I said, thank you because you're doing a good job with the three white, but I want to see the same actions with Reyna. Why are you guys use drones, helicopters, use state troopers, dogs, everything, all the resources to find these three women and you forget about Reyna.

Narrator/Host (17:45)

Lucy Panetta and Luma's efforts brought attention not only to Reyna's disappearance, but also to the glaring inconsistencies in how missing persons cases are handled within Boston police and Massachusetts as a whole. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and Police Commissioner Michael Cox met with Lucy and Raina's sister Alicia via ZOOM in late January. According to reporting by Marcella Garcia in the Boston Globe. Commissioner Cox explained in that meeting that the police were committed and had been committed to finding Reyna since day one. Mayor Wu told the Globe that she was looking closer at the delay between Rayna's disappearance and the public notice. What I know is that when a person is officially designated as missing, there are a number of things that BPD does to investigate, and some of that is the direct interviews and conversations with contacts and those in the area where a person might last have been seen, end quote. What should also be included in those efforts is informing the public. But Wu acknowledged that there was no formal procedure for when that should happen. We need to evaluate our larger procedures for when a public call goes out. On February 26, 2023, the three month mark since Reyna disappeared, six Boston City Council members penned a letter to Mayor Wu and Commissioner Cox calling out the dismissive treatment in the case of Reyna Morales Rojas. The letter reads in part, unfortunately, the type of response Ms. Morales Rojas case received reflects a nationwide pattern. Missing cases of women of color are often unmet with the same urgency as their white counterparts. In this case, Reyna is not only a woman of color, but also an immigrant, which further makes her susceptible to dismissive treatment, end quote. Although Reyna is an undocumented immigrant, Boston Police Department Chief of Communications Mary Ellen Burns told Boston.com that immigration status is, quote, not something Boston police officers ask about or are concerned with in any way, end quote. But the fact that Reyna is an immigrant is important context for understanding the larger issues at play in her case. Lucy explained to me that as it is, immigrant women lack trust in police stemming from experiences in their home countries. Reyna's case has done nothing to quell those fears.

Lucy Panetta (20:20)

You know, I feel sad. Sad because I am a woman, I am a mother, I have child, and as an activist has women, that we have a group of women empowering women, that we educate them every single day, that we need to trust in our authorities, that we need to call 911 if we have any emergency. How can we trust in them? How can they build trust? If we see cases like this one, we flee. These women like myself, I'm from El Salvador, we flee from different Latin American countries because we're coming from a dangerous country. We don't believe, we don't trust in police, we don't trust in the military, because women they missing and you never know what's going on with them. So now it looks like I feel like I am in 1980s. I feel like I am going back like I am in El Salvador again from 1980s that women's missing and nobody's care what's going on.

Narrator/Host (21:27)

On March 8, 2023, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey proposed a new missing and unidentified persons coordination unit to support local law enforcement agencies in their response to missing persons cases. She called for $300,000 of the 2024 fiscal year budget to fund the unit, saying, quote, this initiative is important for local law enforcement and the communities they serve as it provides the resources needed to assist these complex investigations and help reunite missing people with their loved ones. The proposal is a testament to just how hard Lucy Pineda and Luma have advocated for the case of Reyna Morales Rojas and bringing attention to police response when a person and when a person of color goes missing. But the most important fact remains, four months later, Reyna still isn't home.

Lucy Panetta (22:30)

I talk to them every day with the kids. And also I went to El Salvador, I met with the kids and it's sad, it's, you know, because especially in this moment, now every day count. We're gonna have on the 26th, four months that Reyna was missing and we don't know anything. We don't have nothing new. Everything's still the same.

Narrator/Host (22:56)

As of this episode's original release date, it has been four months since Reyna Morales Rojas was last seen in Somerville, Massachusetts. The Boston Police Department said via a statement to Mass live in late February 2023. We have shared information and photos of Ms. Rojas widely with other law enforcement agencies. We have conducted dozens of interviews, utilized other investigative tools, and followed up on all leads that we have received or uncovered as of this writing. End quote. As the investigation continues, Lucy Panetta continues to advocate for Reyna and her family.

Lucy Panetta (23:35)

It's hard because we've been talking to them every, you know, I always send them message emails. We have meetings and I'm tired with the same information, oh, this case is open. We cannot give more information about this case because it's open. And I say, listen, I already know that. I don't want to hear the same history. I already know that the cases open. It's under investigation. I'm not asking you for names, address, phone numbers. I just want to know what's going on. I will make sure I will know that. Are you guys doing your job when you find Reina and You return Reina to us and we can return Reina to her kit. But right now I will still thinking that you guys not doing anything and you not care for this, this case.

Narrator/Host (24:34)

Between phone calls with detectives and the media and dedicating her time and energy to keeping Reyna Morales Rojas in the public eye, Lucy stays in constant contact with Reyna's family in El Salvador. The conversations with Reyna's children weigh heavy on her heart.

Lucy Panetta (24:52)

They still waiting and they still missing and they still thinking that they will receive a phone call their mom and something that it's made me so, you know, sad because they have that hope that I will find them. And Kimberly that I've been talking, I talk to her every single day and she say, ma, Lucy, I know, I know you will find my mom. And you know, it's, it's. It's hard. It's hard for me because I don't. I don't have the power to do that to find their mom. So, you know, I just try to do the best I can. Everything is in my possibilities.

Narrator/Host (25:45)

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Reyna Morales Rojas is advised to contact A7 detectives at 617-343-4324. If you would prefer to share information anonymously, you can do so by calling the crime stoppers tip line at 1-800-494-TIPS or by texting the word TIP to crime274-63. All contact and tipline information is included in the show notes of this episode. Reyna has two children, a sister, an entire family who wants to bring her home? Please, if you know anything, don't keep it to yourself.

Lucy Panetta (26:30)

I never knew Reyna before. I don't know anything about her and her family. And when I met her child, I can see that she was a good mother. She raised a good kid. And we need to continue fighting for justice and equality to make those changes that everyone we deserve in this life and we not give up. We will continue looking for Reyna.

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That's quince.com downeast to get free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com downeast. There's been very little new information regarding Reina's disappearance since that original episode was released on Dark down East in 2023, but Boston Globe columnist Marcella Garcia has stayed with the story since then and even traveled to El Salvador to meet Reyna's family. At the time of my original reporting, source material used the name Reyna Morales Rojas, but her full name is Reyna Carolina Morales Rojas. Reyna's family and friends in El Salvador call her Carolina and the nicknames Caro and Carito. They said she is the kind of person everyone loves. She is a hard worker who bought a plot of land and despite the doubts of some people close to her, she built a home on that land where her children stayed after she moved to Massachusetts. Leaving El Salvador became a necessity for Reyna. Although she had a job, she really enjoyed guarding municipal buildings and public spaces in her city. She had to leave it after she reported co workers for sexual harassment. Court orders prevented those co workers from contacting her, but after that she was reassigned to a different position and it made her feel like she was being punished. Not only that, Reyna faced more harassment in the new position, and she knew it was time to take action on something. She'd always thought going to the US she could make more money and provide a better life for her two children. According to Marcella Garcia's column, not long after her arrival in the city states Raina rented a room in a two bedroom apartment the landlord previously talked about was also technically her roommate. He last saw her on November 26, 2022, in the kitchen of their shared apartment. The landlord said that Reyna told him she was going out that night, but didn't say where. Security footage showed her getting into a silver car on Bennington street, which was where their apartment was located. So that's new. It was a silver vehicle. The same vehicle dropped her off in Somerville where she was last seen, but that's about it. The Middlesex District Attorney's Office and Massachusetts State Police have since joined the investigation. So has the Somerville Police Department, given the last known sighting of Reyna was in that city. As far as I can tell, though, there have been no new updates specifically regarding the status of the investigation from any of these four agencies in a long time. In media coverage published since my original coverage of this case, Boston Police acknowledged that the wait between Reyna's missing persons report and actually going public with information about her disappearance was a misstep that never should have happened. The department has since updated its protocols regarding missing persons reports. However, a Boston Police Department representative explained that the investigation was active from the beginning, despite the significant delay in public notification. Investigators reportedly used search dogs and a drone in their efforts to locate Raina and had also canvassed neighborhoods with her photo. As of April 2023, there had been, quote, no substantive leads since the disappearance was publicly announced. While they wait for answers, Reyna's family have been targeted by cruel scammers in the last few years. Her sister received a call from some unknown person stating that Rayna was the victim of human trafficking and demanded money to release her, even threatening to harm Reyna if she did not comply with the demand. Other callers claimed Reyna was in the hospital or was detained by immigration officials. None of these have turned out to be true, and her sister was advised not to send money to anyone who calls with these threats or promises. But there has been at least a small glimmer of hope in all this. In early 2024, an advocacy nonprofit called Lawyers for Civil Rights began helping Reina's children apply for a U visa. The visa, officially called the U Non Immigrant Status, is a form of immigration relief for someone who's been a victim of a qualifying crime, has experienced substantial physical or mental abuse because of it, and has been helpful or is willing to be helpful in investigating or prosecuting that crime. In short, it's meant to protect crime victims who cooperate with law enforcement and give them a legal way to stay and work in the US and in some cases eventually adjust to permanent resident status. As of January 2024, the Middlesex County District Attorney's Office was assisting with the necessary information and paperwork for the U visa process. DA Marian Ryan was in full support of Reyna's children getting to the United States as the search for their mother continued. Any of us, if we were unfortunate enough that a family member went missing in another country, we would certainly feel that even being on the phone or zooming, we weren't necessarily close enough to the investigation. End quote. For Reyna's children, the opportunity to apply for a U visa means being able to go to the police station to talk to investigators in person and be available for communication with the agencies handling her case in ways that are more effective than doing it from afar. But it's more than that too. It's the promise of maybe making their mother's dream for them come true to attend college and have a better life. With additional agencies joining the investigation since the original release of this episode, there are now additional ways to share information and tips relating to the disappearance of Reyna Carolina Morales Rojas. If you have knowledge that could help bring Reyna home, you can also contact the Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Middlesex District attorney's office at 781-897660.

Narrator/Host (34:56)

Foreign. Thank you for listening to Dark Down East. You can find all source material for this case@darkdowneast.com be sure to follow the show on Instagram at darkdowneast. This platform is for the families and friends who have lost their loved ones and for those who are still searching for answers. I'm not about to let those names or those their stories get lost with time. I'm Kylie Lowe and this is Dark Down East. Dark down east is a production of Kylie Media and Audio Check. I think Chuck would approve.

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