Cue the Collective "Awwww..."-ing; Valery Lozada Finds a Home
Remember Valery Lozado, the 4-year-old little girl found at 1 am on September 25, 2005 wandering barefoot in the streets of Queens? Who could forget her when, in the days authorities were struggling to identify her, she described her mother Monica Lozada-Rivaineira as "look[ing] like a princess"? (If she got any cuter, little sparkles would trail her as she walked.) Valery's "Daddy", her mother's live-in boyfriend, woke her up, dropped her off on 76th Street in Queens, and drove off. Valery, with her pigtails and her angelic face, tugged at the heartstrings of New Yorkers and the nation alike and prompted calls from various families willing to adopt her and take her in while the search was still on for 26-year-old Lozada-Rivaineira. Soon, news surfaced that "Daddy", Cesar Ascarrunz, had strangled Lozada-Rivaineira and dumped her body in a trash bag that was eventually recovered in a Pennsylvania landfill. Ascarrunz pleaded guilty and was sentenced on March 15, 2006 to 25 years in prison for first-degree manslaughter and 5 years for reckless endangerment. But enough about the gory stuff. I'm sure you all are wondering the same thing: What happened to Valery?
We at It's Still News, besides fighting crime and saving damsels in distress, care deeply about pig-tailed girls bereft of their mothers. It turns out that Valery's now happily settled in a suburb in Chicago with the family of a sister of her biological father, Iris Saavedra. There, Valery has a family she can call her own complete with a little white dog and a teenage "older sister". The family celebrated Christmas complete with a Christmas tree in the front window of their home. On a Christmas Eve trip to Kmart, Valery was seen walking independently in front of Saavedra, who was pushing a shopping cart. Valery and Saavedra then picked up lunch at a drive-through counter of a burger joint. Looks like she can now have a "normal" life after all.
Alas, things have not completely settled for Valery. Valery's maternal grandmother in Bolivia, Roxanna Rivadineira, has filed an application in family court for permanent custody. The case is still pending. We at It's Still News wish the best for Valery, who has been so brave in the face of it all (not to mention so darn cute), and will keep you posted on future developments.