Faribault Woman Recently Reunited With Birth Mother Killed In Crash
FARIBAULT, Minn. (WCCO) -- A Minnesota woman who spent years trying to find her birth mother, died in a crash -- just days after their joyful reunion.
Marisa Bocanegra, 39, met her mother, Elssy, at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport earlier this month. They'd planned to share their incredible story of hope Thursday night at a church in Faribault, but a deadly crash just Tuesday changed everything.
Now, Marisa's mother is trying to cherish their short time together.
What they felt that day at the airport is something only the two women could possibly understand -- a mother and daughter, separated at birth, embracing for the first time after 39 years. Their eyes were filled with tears of joy that, 18 days later, would be filled with indescribable pain.
"My heart aches and so does my soul," Elssy Bocanegra said through a translator. "It's a great loss, a very enormous loss."
Instead of sharing a special night with her daughter Marisa Bocanegra, Elssy and her son Jaun Pablo are grieving.
On Tuesday afternoon near Highway 57 in Goodhue county, Bocanegra was in a van that was hit by a semi truck. She died in the crash, while two others inside survived.
"I feel broken, it's hard for me to tell this to anybody," Juan Pablo said through a translator.
As difficult as their loss must be, they're just thankful for chance to have finally met Bocanegra. The newborn was abducted at birth in Colombia 39 years ago and given up for adoption.
"I have been looking for her for 37 years in Colombia, and nobody could give me an answer," Elssy said.
At 37 years old, Marisa started searching as well and found her mom with the help of a private investigator. Elssy says it gave her life new meaning, and gave her back the daughter she always had.
Their time together lasted only 18 days, but it's 18 days more than she ever imagined would happen.
"It was the most wonderful gift that God has given me in my life," she said.
Marisa's brother hopes their story inspires other families to search for their loved ones if they are separated -- and to cherish the time they have together.
