HOUSTON — A Houston family has newfound hope that unidentified remains found in 2023 belong to their missing loved one.
Family said they reported Alexander "A.J." Silva missing to the Houston Police Department in April 2021. He was 19 at the time. Today, he would be 22.
"In a way I had a feeling like he's going to walk in the door," Silva's mom, Conception Moreno, said. "I'm going to get a phone call 'hey mom you know i'm ok.' But i don't feel like that's the case at all. I don't think I'll ever get another phone call."
It's a harsh reality Moreno and her brother Paul Vasquez have come to accept. What they can't accept is that their son and nephew disappeared without a trace.
"We've been at this for three years. We've prayed, protest. We've done any and everything you can think of," Vasquez said.
Vasquez turned into a social justice advocate, upping search efforts by creating a Facebook page focused on finding Silva and they feel as if they finally made a break in the case.
In August 2023, skeletal remains were found in an abandoned building near Alief Clodine Road and Highway 6. Recently, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children released a digitized rendering of those remains.
The family said the rendering looks a lot like Silva and the description matches.
"Considering they drew that image because they don't have a face to go on the eyes got me," Vasquez said.
They've shared his dental records hoping it helps bring them some answers.
"Oh my God. What if this is my child? Finally, we get the closure we're looking," Moreno said.
Family said Silva went missing while wearing a pretrial ankle monitor. They said days after he was last seen, the monitor went dark.
The family began an independent investigation and tracked down some leads making them believe he's not alive, but they said the official investigation stalled.
"Closure would be that this is his body, and that we can lay him to rest, and we can at least close that chapter," Vasquez said.
HPD said the missing person's case is still an open and active investigation. They'll be pursuing any additional leads.
What to do when someone goes missing
Thousands of people go missing every year across the United States, and there are organizations and law enforcement agencies that work to bring them home to loved ones.
The Texas Center for the Missing is an organization with Houston roots that works to educate loved ones and authorities on finding the lost.
From resources that deal with missing children to endangered adults, the nonprofit organization has compiled a wealth of resources to help.