Florida

Mother Tells Judge Missing Miami Girl is Dead: Report

The 30-year-old mother said her daughter died "sometime last year"

The mother of a 2-year-old Miami girl believed to have been missing since November told a judge Thursday that the child was dead.

As Miami Police continued their search for Angela, who was possibly last seen in November 2015, Marjorie Dufrene told Judge Cindy Lederman that the toddler "was no longer with us," according to audio recordings of the court hearing obtained by the Miami Herald.

When pressed on if she meant the girl had died, Dufrene told Judge Lederman "right." The 30-year-old mother said her daughter died "sometime last year," the Herald reported.

Police released few details and said they were still looking for a picture of the girl.

Sources told the Herald that the mother provided investigators with conflicting accounts of what happened to her daughter. In one version, the girl suffered a fatal fall and her mother discarded the body in a dumpster, the report said.

According to the report, the Florida Department of Children and Families has a long history with Dufrene. She lost custody of three of her other children following an arrest in 2013, and Angela's twin brother is currently in foster care.

In an email to NBC 6 Friday, DCF officials confirmed that the mother had a history with the state's child welfare system, but said the details are confidential.

"We are very concerned about the well-being of this child," DCF wrote in statement Thursday. "The department has initiated a child protective investigation regarding the circumstances that led to the disappearance of the child and we will continue to work closely with law-enforcement."

Authorities discovered the girl was missing after DCF received an anonymous tip that Dufrene's children, who visit on weekends, were living in filthy conditions, the Herald reported.

Dufrene hasn't been charged with a crime. Authorities hope Angela is still alive and are continuing their search for her.

Contact Us