Paola Illera's journey was much like the story of many immigrant families. Chasing the American dream. Paola arrived in the United States with her mother and her siblings during the warm weather days of the early Summer in 1990. The family moved to New York from Cali, Colombia in search for a more fruitful future. This dream would fade away when tragedy struck the family shortly after their arrival.
On January 24, 1991 The 13 year-old Paola was in her afterschool program completing a Valentine letter to send to her father Cesar who was still living in Colombia. Paola left her afterschool journalism workshop just after 4pm. It was already getting dark outside and frigid cold. She walked up north on 1st Avenue to her home on 111th street from her school on 100th street. She was walking home with a classmate. The two friends parted ways at 106th street and Paola kept walking north until she reached her home at 420 E 111th st. She pressed the entry button as she did each day to get inside the building. The last words she would say over the intercom were "Soy yo". Paola never made it upstairs. After 10 minutes her family went downstairs to the lobby to look for her, but they could not find her. Paola's mother immediately went to file a missing persons report on her 13 year-old daughter who suddenly vanished from the building.
A man walking his dog that night on the East River promenade near 102nd st came across a lifeless body sometime after 7:30pm and immediately contacted the police. The body found dead under the Ward's Island bridge footpath entrance on the East River promenade was confirmed to be Paola Illera.
Paola was last seen alive entering the elevator of her building at 420. E. 111th street (The East River Landing 1199 complex) Detectives were told by two young girls that Paola entered the elevator with them and a young man. The two young girls told detectives that their stop was first, then the man, and then Paola's. Since the two young girls had exit the elevator before Paola and the unknown man it was unclear what took place next.
The discovery destroyed the families hope of having that American dream when the young Colombian child was brutally murdered. Detectives were baffled and her case went cold for 7 years.
