Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office provides resources to families with missing loved ones – NBC Chicago

Several people who had been searching for missing loved ones for a long time stopped by the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office Saturday afternoon.

“It makes you wonder where she is,” said Belen Rivera, whose daughter has not been seen since 2020. “She is 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 images were of them leaving Walmart. She must have had a breakdown due to COVID stress,” the mother explained. “She ran into the local woods without a coat, and it was November.”

Rivera said investigators searched the woods but found no trace of her daughter. Given the weather at that time, she does not believe her daughter is still alive.

“I know in my heart she’s probably in heaven,” she said. “She believed in God, so I have confidence that she is with God.”

Rivera’s pain was felt as she and others sought help from police, provincial officials and local agencies. The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office hosted its fourth “Missing Persons Day” to connect families with resources to assist in their search.

“It can be very scary for families who are going through a lot of pain,” says Dr. Ponni Arunkumar, Cook County’s chief medical examiner. “But when they come here, they can take all the steps; we have staff to guide them through all the steps necessary.”

Multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Chicago Police Department and the Illinois State Police, attended. Families could file reports and submit medical records, photos and even DNA samples.

“This is a service that the community needs, and we are very grateful that we can get all these agencies together on this day to help the families,” Arunkumar said.

Pete Farfan provided 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 a man found dead on North Avenue Beach Tuesday could be his brother.

“No ID had yet been issued. Who is he? We need to know,” he said. “Fifty-fifty the description of this person matches who I am looking for; Now it may not be that person, or it may be, but I… need to know how to move forward.”

As he and other families waited for answers, they knew they were not alone in the search.

The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office said two people have been identified as a result of this year’s event.