Sacramento kids who vanished after mother found dead still missing three months later
SACRAMENTO — Police have been searching for Athena and Mateo Lee for three months now since they went missing after their mother, Angelica Bravo, was found dead inside a North Sacramento home on July 8.
The Sacramento Police Department said there has not been much change in the investigation, but they are still diligently working on it with state, federal and local agencies.
"Boisterous, fun-loving kids that are loud and a lot of fun," the kid's grandmother, Dawn Bodea, said.
Bodea said that laughter and joy from her grandkids, 4 and 2, have not been felt in her home since they went missing.
"There's things they can't really tell me because it's an active investigation and they don't want to jeopardize anything moving forward," Bodea said.
Since July, investigators have been telling Bodea the same thing, that they believe the kid's father, Cameron Lee, took off with the kids and crossed the border into Mexico or possibly dropped the kids off somewhere in Southern California.
There are still no answers to how the kid's mother, Angelica Bravo, died. Her little brother recently got a tattoo of her face on his leg in her honor.
"If there was cause of death of the mother to be homicide, then it's going to really amp up how they are searching for the kids," said Mark Reichel, a local attorney unrelated to the case.
Reichel said the Sacramento County Coroner's Office has been backlogged for years.
"You can wait up to a year for the final report, but usually you're looking at six months which is such a long time for families who are grieving," Reichel said.
The long wait is standard for the industry, according to a Sacramento County spokesperson who said that even after post-mortem examination, a forensic pathologist may order more tests such as toxicology, histology, and other genetic testing.
The coroner's office could not tell us if these tests had been ordered for Angelica Bravo.
"It's hard," Bodea said. "I mean, I am doing OK but it's just really hard."
Bodea and her loved ones are turning to their faith as they wait for answers.
"I miss them so much," Bodea said. "I just really miss them."
Bodea's family is offering a $10,000 reward for anyone with information that will lead to bringing the two children home safely. They hope someone will see the pictures of the kids and speak up if they know anything about what happened to them.