Monday, November 10, 2008: This was THE worst day of my life. No question. This was my personal 9/11. It’s the kind of day where I remember everything. November 10, 2008 was a Monday. When I woke up that morning, it started off like any other. No sign of the nightmare that was about to unfold. Back then Monday’s were the day I would travel to Los Angeles on business. Adriana Coronel Tenorio (AKA Adriana Howitt Coronel, Ari Coronel, Ari Coronel Tenorio, Ari Howitt, Ari Howitt Coronel) knew I am very good at time-management. I even coordinated my work schedule with her schedule and Samantha’s activities. This was an odd time because the economy was in a recession. We were still a few months away from the full blown financial meltdown that will be talked about in the history books for decades to come. It was a stressful time with all the uncertainty in the world.
Suffice it to say, this morning starts like any other. At 6:45 I am in the kitchen making breakfast for Samantha. At 7:00 I hear an alarm go off in Samantha’s room. I can hear her little feet navigate the stairs to get to the kitchen. She loved to help me make breakfast. Today, strawberry and banana pancakes with turkey bacon. Samantha’s favorite. As she reaches the top stairs, I can hear her laughing. As I turn around I see Samantha in her pajamas with that beautiful beaming smile of hers. And the look in her eye said she could not wait to help me make a mess in the kitchen. Before she could reach the kitchen Maria Guadalupe Tenorio Toledano (AKA Lupita Tenorio, Marsha Tenorio) makes her way up the stairs. She was there to help me with Samantha while Adriana was “in Mexico City”. Like me, Maria Guadalupe loves her coffee first thing in the morning. I had a cup on the counter waiting for her. Instead she tells me coffee will have to wait until she gets back. She has to take Sam to register for some preschool activity before registration closes. She grabs Samantha by the hand, before she had a chance to reach me in the kitchen, and out the door they went. Samantha kept turning around to look at me as they made their way to the car. She was blowing me kisses the whole time. Once Samantha was secured in the back seat, Maria Guadalupe stops the car in front of the house. Samantha waves at me and blows more kisses to me. Then the car drives away.
How was I supposed to know that would be the last time I would see my own daughter for quite some time?
My business concluded in Los Angeles that day around 7:00 P.M.. Traffic was it’s usual hectic self in Santa Monica and by the time I got home it was close to 10:00 P.M. As I drove up to the house and in front of the driveway, all the lights were off. Even the sensor that lights up the driveway was off. I knew immediately something was wrong. That sensor is very sensitive. The wind could trigger it to go off, yet today my truck doesn’t? All the lights in the house are off too, which was weird because even though Samantha would have been sleeping by then, Maria Guadalupe would stay up late to watch TV – her schedule was fairly predictable.
As I am taking all this in my heart sank into my stomach. I stopped the truck in the driveway. I turned the engine off but kept the lights on. Without them I could not see the front of the house or the front door key hole. In a panic I finally get the key to open the door and as I open the door I thought I was going to have a heart attack. The house was completely cleaned out! Everything was stolen out of the house. Everything! I knew right then that all this talk about Mexico City was bullshit. Immediately I started yelling for Samantha. Maybe they left her behind. They left my 20-pound cat to fend for himself, locked up in a bathroom. Perhaps Samantha was locked in a bedroom or something. I ran through the whole house screaming her name at the top of my lungs as I searched every room. Every closet. Even the attic spaces. The echo of my own voice in such an empty house was eerie. It was at this point when I started to wonder if anyone was in the house waiting to kill me. I was standing in the master bedroom thinking about diving out of the window. The thought that someone else was there to finish me off was creeping over me like a wet blanket. The front door was two flights of stairs away. I would never make it if someone was in the house with me.
Then I heard a familiar voice, “is everyone OK in here?”. It was my next door neighbor. Understandably, they heard me screaming. I wasn’t sure if he was not part of this. So I did not answer not wanting to give my position away in the house. As he kept saying “is everyone OK in here”, again and again. It was then I hear the police as they pull up to the house. No sirens but the lights and their radios were all going off. Several police cars came to the house. It was then I realized I would be OK. Visibly shaken, my voice was trembling. I could barely say word. My daughter was gone and my house was completely torn apart. The absolutely unthinkable was now my reality.
For the next several hours, all kinds of law enforcement were at the house scouring over what little was left behind. Police, FBI, you name it, they were putting all of this together. A small congregation of neighbors were there for support. Most of them were at work and did not see anything when Adriana pulled this off. Some actually talked to Adriana as she was stealing everything out of my home. She was telling them we were all moving into a bigger house. How would the neighbors know any better? When they found out what was really going on, they were sick about it. They did mention that Adriana looked very nervous and was anxious to get the “move” done. I can’t even begin to imagine what was going through Adriana’s mind.
By 6:00 the next morning we knew how it all went down. We knew what roles people played and we also knew who helped. They also had psychological profiles of both Adriana and Maria Guadalupe. Based on those profiles, we knew Maria Guadalupe was the ring leader behind Samantha’s abduction. That explains the whole story Adriana made up about Mexico City because based on her ‘profile’ she would not have been able to go through with it on her own. We knew she was in Tijuana too. We did not have her exact location yet, however that was a relief knowing she was in Tijuana because she was close. The State Department introduced me to their ambassador/liaison to Mexico. Unfortunately they are all too familiar with situations like this regarding Mexico. They told me what my options are as a “left-behind parent” in an parental child abduction. The first thing we need to do if find Adriana and Samantha’s exact location and pin them down so they cannot go anywhere.
What a surreal thing to be a part of. Is this really happening?
A month passes when the investigators found Adriana’s blog, which I have been sharing with you these past few weeks. We immediately went to she if she posted anything on November 10, 2008. Oddly enough she made two posts in her blog that day. The first post was done in the early evening. Only a couple hours after she was settled into wherever she was hiding out. The second post came a few hours later. Neither of the posts mentions me, the abduction or stealing everything out of my house. Unbelievable.
It’s no coincidence that Adriana locked up her blog. You now need a password to see content on that particular site. I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall the moment she saw this. If she has nothing to hide, why would she do that? Not to worry. Google is way smarter than Adriana. Adriana can take the site down and it still would not matter at this point. As you are reading, investigators already cached the whole thing.
So, the first post Adriana made on her site on the day she abducted Samantha were song lyrics. The actual post is written in Spanish. If you cache this link in Google you will still be able to see this for yourself: http://mycasitavirtual.wordpress.com/2008/11/10/labio-dulce/.
Labio dulce!
Abro los ojos en la mañana entre mis sábanas blancas
Con el alma mojada y tengo ganas de ti
Una ramita me enseñó que no era malo lo que hicieras
Sino lo que dejas ir
Esta misma mañana
Me he decidido a ser feliz
Me aguanté muchas veces
Pero ahora si ya me perdí
Debes de cuidar tus labios rosas
Que hoy van a besar si me provocas
Debes de cuidar tus labios rosas
Que hoy van a besar
**Coro**
Si me provocas
Te voy a besar los ojos
Te voy a tomar del pelo
Te voy a hacer llorar de un beso hoy
Tomarás fuerte mi mano
Y te voy a besar
A labio dulce, yeah
Ya tomé tanto estoy cansado de bailar a tu lado
Un poquito enamorado por estar junto a ti
Y en esta noche de labios con los ojos cerrados
Y la gente pasando y tú te acercas a mí
sin pensar dos veces
Tu corazón se acerca a mí
La música es tan fuerte
Que yo me acerco para oír
Debes de cuidar tus labios rosas
Que hoy van a besar si me provocas
Debes de cuidar tus labios rosas
Que hoy van a besar
Now in English:
Lip sweet!
I open my eyes in the morning in my white sheets
With wet soul and I have wanted you
A sprig taught me that what you did was wrong
But what let go
This morning
I have decided to be happy
I held many times
But now if I missed
You should watch your lips roses
That today will kiss if I provoke
You should watch your lips roses
That today they will kiss
Chorus ** **
If you cause me
I’ll kiss your eyes
I’ll take the hair
I’ll make you a kiss today mourn
You’ll take my hand strong
And I’ll kiss
A sweet lip, yeah
It took so’m tired of dancing with you
A little love to be with you
And tonight lip with eyes closed
And people going and you come to me
without thinking twice
Your heart is about me
The music is so loud
I approach to hear
You should watch your lips roses
That today will kiss if I provoke
You should watch your lips roses
That today they will kiss
Crazy right? Looking back and knowing that Isaias Palomeque (AKA Isaias Uzziel Palomeque, Isaias Palomeque Vergara, Project Manager at DJO Global) was a part of Samantha’s abduction from day one gives that song a whole new meaning. We will get more into who Palomeque is in a little bit.
The next post was only a few hours later. Again nothing about me, Samantha’s abduction or stealing everything out of my house. Instead, she writes about her trip to Spain. Yes the trip to Spain that caused all of this. During our investigation, we found out everything Adriana did on that trip to Spain. Stay tuned for that. She writes this post in Spanish as well. I will translate the best I can. Thank you again for reading this long post. This was my personal 9/11. It took some time to explain. I love all of you for reading this and for your support. Samantha and I both thank you. We are honored and humbled beyond words.
Palma de Mallorca!
en la catedral de palma
This time i just want to write in my own lenguage!
No solo porque me resulta mas fácil, si no porque las palabras me fluyen como agua en el rio.
Bueno esta es la maravillosa Catedral de Mallorca, situada en Isla de Palma de Mallorca, perteneciente a España, Illes Baleares, son 3 (Menorca, Mallorca e Ibiza)
Es la segunda catedral gotica mas alta de Europa
Es la segunda catedral gotica mas alta de Europa
Pero no solo la foto quiero compartir, sino un video muy gracioso, que en realidad me hizo reir tanto, pues me recordo mi estancia en España y lo gracioso del concurso, Este video me lo mandaron por correo y si alguien mas quiere recordarse de esta boba pero pegajosa cancion, el chiqui chiqui con ustedes! yo traje esta tonada por meses, el chiquilicuatre, se pasa de freaky! jajaja
pero como hace reir, es verdad los Españoles tienen excelente sentido del humor!
Baila chiqui chiqui!
Nos vemos el proximo año España, pues amenazo con volver!!!! Esta vez, llevare chiles extra!!!
Now in English:
Palma de Mallorca!
Cathedral in Palma
This time i just want to write in my own language!
Not only because it is easier, but because the words flow like water in the river.
Well this is the wonderful Cathedral of Mallorca, located in Palma de Mallorca Island, belonging to Spain, Illes Baleares, are 3 (Menorca, Mallorca and Ibiza)
It is the second tallest Gothic cathedral in Europe
But not only want to share the photo, but a very funny video that actually made me laugh so hard, it reminded me of my stay in Spain and the funny contest, this video mailed me and if anyone else wants to remember this silly but catchy song, the Chiqui Chiqui with you! I brought this tune for months, the Chiquilicuatre, moving from freaky! lol but as he does laugh, it’s true the Spanish have excellent sense of humor!
Chiqui Chiqui Dance!
See you next year Spain, then threatened to come back!! This time, I will take an extra chilli!
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