Everlyse’s case jolts her birth parents

The birth parents of Everlyse Cabrera were thrown into emotional turmoil by the recent revelation that Wisconsin police have recovered a young girl who might be their missing daughter.

Ernesto Cabrera and Marlena Olivas aren't granting interviews, their attorney J.D. Evans said Friday. They're just trying to cope.

"They're in shock now," Evans said. "It's Everlyse one day and the next day it's not. It's a horrible thing for them to deal with."

The possibility has dimmed that the child removed from a Green Bay, Wis., drug house last week is Everlyse, who was reported missing on June 10, 2006. Everlyse, who was 21/2 years old when she disappeared, had been placed by Clark County Family Services with foster parents Manuel and Vilma Carrascal.

The Carrascals told North Las Vegas police the toddler let herself out of the house sometime in the night, after 1 a.m. and before 8 a.m.

DNA testing is being done to confirm the identity of the unknown girl, but it will likely be months before the results are known, Wisconsin authorities said. Evans said that is time Cabrera and Olivas will spend "on pins and needles."

Green Bay police now think it's more likely that the girl in their custody was born to Danielle Allen, who was incarcerated at the North Las Vegas women's prison in 2005 on drug charges. According to Wisconsin police, Allen gave birth on March 14, 2005, and surrendered the infant to relatives of the biological father.

"The parents are praying it's Everlyse," Evans said. "And if it's not, they're praying that the girl is returned to her family."

The couple lost custody of Everlyse in part because of their illegal drug use.

North Las Vegas police spokesman Mark Hoyt said the department remained hopeful the Wisconsin girl is Everlyse, even as the possibility fades.

The North Las Vegas investigation into the disappearance of the child has been a frustrating one for detectives, who have been stymied by the Carrascals' refusal to be reinterviewed and the lack of any productive leads.

"It's one of those passionate cases that everybody (in the department) has their hands in," Hoyt said. "It's a little more emotional than just a homicide case. It's a missing 2-year-old."

The Wisconsin break has been one of the few leads in the case since Everlyse disappeared.

"If it's her, it'd be great. If not, it'll be disappointing," Hoyt said.

Nevada Child Seekers Executive Director Stephanie Parker said that about 8,000 children in the Silver State are reported missing each year. Some are runaways. Many are children at the heart of custodial battles. Most of them, Parker said, are recovered in the short-term.

But it's not unheard of for children to be recovered years after they disappear, Parker said, although the possibility of finding a missing child becomes more remote as time passes.

"It's rare," Parker said. "But it does happen."

Review-Journal writer Lawrence Mower contributed to this report. Contact reporter Lisa Kim Bach at lbach@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0287.