DENMARK, Maine (NEWS CENTER Maine) -- 19 years after Angel Torres’ disappearance, his parents are again asking for the public's help in finding out what happened.
Torres would have been 40 years old last month. His birthday is an easier time for his parents, Ramona and Narciso Torres, compared to the emotions that May 21 brings. It's the exact day in 1999 when their 21-year-old son went missing. He was on his way to Denmark to visit his parents after finishing his Junior year at Framingham State University in Massachusetts, but never made it to his destination.
"That was Sunday morning, I came out of the room and I told Narciso nobody has seen him, so we decided we were going to call the police and here we stand 19-years-later with no answers," said Ramona.
Detectives with State Police discovered that Angel stopped in Biddeford on his way home to visit with friends, one of those named Jason Carney. Police say, Carney told them something went bad during a potential drug deal at The Whistle Stop convenience store. 19 years later the store has a different name and as is the problem in several cold cases, Carney is no longer alive. He passed away in 2015 and, according to police, never gave them enough details to follow.
"It was an area that he and his friends from the Bonny Eagle area would go to and from there he met other people from that area, made connections and it was a place that he used to go back to to spend time," said Narciso.
The Torres family has come to peace with the fact that Angel is probably no longer alive.
Since they haven't been able to give him a proper burial, his memorial lays in a garden on their front lawn.
If there is someone who knows what happened to Angel, Ramona and Narciso want their help in closing their son's case.
"We miss him and we just want to bring him home," said Ramona in tears. "I know somebody knows, please say something, so we can move forward."
Two of Angel’s friends have each donated $5,000 toward a $15,000 reward for any information that leads to the recovery of Angel's body.