The parents of a Maine man who has been missing for nearly 22 years have increased the reward for information on what happened to Angel (Tony) Torres.
Angel Torres was last seen on May 21, 1999. His parents believe he was murdered. Family photo
Ramona and Narciso Torres of Denmark are now offering $16,500 for information that could bring closure for the family, they said this week in a statement issued through the Maine State Police.
The increase from $15,000 was announced just before the 22nd anniversary of Torres’ disappearance. Torres, who was 21 at the time, was last seen in Biddeford on May 21, 1999.
“Someone knows where our son is,” the couple said in the statement.
The couple could not be reached Wednesday night, but in a May 2019 interview with the Press Herald, they said they believe their son was murdered.
“I just keep saying, ‘why are people so afraid of talking,’ ” Ramona said. “Somebody obviously knows what happened to Angel. Somebody’s holding it in, and I just wish, if they have children now, when they bend down to say goodnight to that child that they think of us.”
Maine State Police say they continue to investigate Torres’ disappearance, but the man Torres was with the night he disappeared – Jay Carney – died of a suspected drug overdose in 2015. Carney was potentially a key witness.
“Carney died without telling the police the whole story about what happened that night. Investigators from the Maine State Police believe foul play was involved,” the state police said in their statement. Detectives with the Major Crimes Unit, Southern Maine, and with the Unsolved Homicide Unit have been investigating for the past two decades, but have been unable to come up with any leads.
According to state police, Torres, who was attending college in Massachusetts, traveled to Maine to visit friends. He was last seen on South Street in Biddeford on the night he disappeared.
Ramona Torres, mother of Angel Torres, spoke in 2015 about his disappearance. Now, she and Narciso Torres are offering $16,500 for information that could bring closure for the family. 2015 Kennebec Journal photo/Joe Phelan
At the time of his disappearance, Torres, who attended Bonny Eagle High School and Fryeburg Academy, was a junior at Framingham State College, where he was majoring in business and minoring in Spanish.
State police said his parents have spent more than two decades keeping their son’s memory alive and pleading for answers.
“Maine State Police detectives are interested in talking to anyone who has more information about Angel’s disappearance,” said Lt. Scott Gosselin of the Major Crimes Unit, Southern Maine. “We are confident that the right information from courageous people in the community is very likely to help us bring a successful resolution for the Torres family.”
Anyone with information concerning Torres’ disappearance is being asked to contact the Maine State Police.
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