Dark Downeast - The Disappearance of Angel Torres Part 1 (Maine)

Episode Date: September 20, 2021

MAINE MISSING PERSON, 1999: It's been 22 years, and Ramona and Narciso Torres are still waiting for the answers that will bring their son Angel Antonio "Tony" Torres home.Through their memories and stories, we get to know Angel and who he was before he disappeared, and the earliest circumstances of the days after he called his parents for the last time.This is the story of Angel Torres, Part 1, told by his parents Ramona and Narciso Torres.If you have information regarding this case, please contact the Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit - South at [phone] x9 or toll free at 1-800-452-4664. You may also report information about this crime using the leave a tip form. View source material and photos for this episode at darkdowneast.com/angel1Follow @darkdowneast on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTokTo suggest a case visit darkdowneast.com/submit-caseDark Downeast is an audiochuck and Kylie Media production hosted by Kylie Low.

I will never give up. As slow as I'm breathing, I will never give up trying to find him. Ramona and Narciso Torres have waited over two decades for answers in their son's disappearance. Angel Antonio Torres, also called Tony, is still missing. It's been 22 years. He's been gone longer than he lived at this point. So it's very, very heartbreaking. And we hope that somebody, you know, give us closure. You know, he was a nice young man.

He had a lot going for himself. Somebody took his life. I'm Kylie Lowe, and this is the story of Angel Torres, Part 1. Told by his parents, Ramona and Narciso and Ramona Torres. Ramona greeted me warmly at the front door. That's the first word that comes to mind after spending an afternoon with the Torres family. Warmth. I've received many emails from you, Dark Down East listeners, asking if I would cover this case.

Many of those emails were accompanied by your own personal connections to the Torres family. They're well known in their community and the school system. Being involved is important to them. My name is Narciso Torres. I'm Angel's father. I'm a retired special ed teacher of 38 years. 32 of those years were at Bonne Eagle Middle School here in Buxton, Maine. And now I substitute at Freiburg Academy and Malayakit Middle School here in Freiburg. And I'm about to do some tutoring, I think. I need to interview tomorrow. I'm pretty sure I'll get the job. So that's my life right now.

My name is Ramona Torres, and I'm Angel's mom. I mean, I've been involved, started the Big Buddy program at Farby Academy. I'm a retiree from the school district 61 as a receptionist and just trying to live our lives as best as we can. You might hear in the background of this conversation, the chirps of birds and buzzing of insects, the wooded area around their home alive and thriving in the late season. You might also hear the chime of a clock. A big, hand-carved piece on their wall in the shape of mane. It marks every quarter hour with a familiar tone.

I left that sound in for one specific reason. We're known for that clock. The clock has been here for like 30 years. It's a main one, and we had a local guy in Bridgeton make it for us. But our sons, when they hear it through the phone, when they move down, they hear it through the song, that chime. Reminds them of home.

Yeah, yeah. Their sons, and now their grandchildren, are at the center of Ramona and Narciso's world. Not an inch of the refrigerator was left bare. Photos of smiling faces cover the doors. Glossy memories captured on film. Among those smiling faces was Angel, their middle child. I was living in New York. I was living in the Bronx.

Angel was born April 1st at 5.36 in the morning. It was a big snowstorm in New York City. Yeah, yeah. And he was just so, so handsome. I was in love with him from the time I saw him. It was exciting for me. And you're being born on April 1st, April 1st day, you know, as I give birth at the hospital. We had, we had Louis, which is the oldest. And the nurses was joking with me, and she said, did the nurse tell you that you had two girls? I'm like, I did? She said, I'm sorry, it's April Fool's.

You had a son. So we always play a lot of April Fool jokes with Angel. But it was great having him and being another addition. The first six years of Angel's life were spent in New York City, but Ramona and Narciso had their eyes on a different life for their family in the Northeast, somewhere with space and safety and community. Maine was calling their names.

Well, we had two boys. Well, we had two boys. The youngest was born here. And we felt we couldn't keep them cooped up in an apartment, you know, because, you know, New York's not a good place for kids unsupervised. And we knew that. And our oldest, Louis, it wasn't fair to him. So we were looking for a place to move.

And I had friends that had moved here, starting in 1982 and then again in 83. And we would visit. And we made it a point to come up here through all the seasons. And then we heard about the winter, how bad it is. But actually, the winter's here. Much better than New York, I think. Better than New York, I think, because at least you can do something. You can get out.

But on the other hand, it was a big culture shock because, you know, New York is busy, busy, moving around, running around. It's all these people, and here things are a little slowed down. And the culture itself. Yeah. So schooling for me, because I taught the first six years in New York City. In New York, you start school after 8 o'clock. You get out at 3.

Here, we were starting a little bit after 7 and getting out like at 2.15, almost half the day still to go. So that was a change. So I took a leave of absence from my job in the Bronx. I taught in the middle school. And we sublet the apartment just in case. So it was really hard. But we saw that it was great for the kids because the kids got to get out. They met neighborhood kids. They played basketball. They just did things that were available that they otherwise wouldn't have had in New York. Or they might have had, but they would have been under crowded conditions.

Maine stole their hearts, like it does for so many. We decided to stay. It was one of the best moves we've ever made, because we love Maine. Oh yeah, we love Maine. And I want to die here. We love Maine. Maine, I used to tell, sit down in New York.

We're Puerto Rican. And so I think we were discriminated against a little bit just because of who we were and where we were from. And so I anticipated that a little bit because I had read, too, that Maine was overwhelmingly white. But you know what? Pleasantly appear. People don't care who you are, where you're from, for the most part.

There's always a few characters. But they just care what you do for the community. And I looked at Ramon, and I said, we're all set, you know? And people took to us. We've been here in Maine for 37 years. We've been in this house for 36. And, you know, we've been involved, and it was easy to do up here. We love it. Maine's America's best kept secret.

And you know what? And for all of you that are listening, it is too cold up here. Don't move up here. Yeah. Maine is undeniably different from Manhattan and New York City's outer boroughs. The difference in culture contributed to many changes in their lives, including Angel becoming known as Tony. It started with a misunderstanding at school. And the teacher put pink in front of him, thinking he was... So he kind of complained a little,

and his middle name is Antonio, so we started calling him Tony. And so I think most people around here will call him Tony, especially among his clique of friends. I asked Ramona and Narciso how they'd like me to refer to their son and what he would have wanted.

I want to hold on to Angel because that's how I met him. That's his real name. That's his name. In Puerto Rico, Angel is actually masculine. And then Angela is the feminine. Ramona and Narciso switched between the two names. I'll use Angel. As they said, that's his name.

Raising their sons in Maine was full of challenges, and looking back now, it also had its funny moments. Ramona reflected on the first time she left the boys home alone in Maine. Mom and Dad were headed out for a night together, Ramona reflected on the first time she left the boys home alone in Maine. Mom and dad were headed out for a night together, while Louis, who was about 14 or 15, a nine-year-old angel, stayed home. So we went out for dinner for the first time. I was pregnant with Jamel. We only were gone like for two and a half hours the most.

We get home and there was a car there. So it was a friend of ours. They had called her because they said that Tony, Louis said Tony was sick. But then instead of calling us, they called her. So when we got home, she was here. So she explained everything and we say, thank you. You know, we are so sorry, you know, and then we feel terrible because, you know, here we are the first time we leave them and this is what happens. So a couple of days later, we were having dinner, and I can see Louis, you know, like, smirking his face, and I'm like, what's happening?

You know, so I said, well, remember the other day when we called Rochelle to come over? We were just scared. So they figured they'd call her. They didn't want us, I guess, to damage our dinner, so they called her to come here and stay with them. So Angel was never sick. The Home Alone mishaps aside, Angel thrived in Maine.

They all did. The kids liked it. The kids liked it. As kids, they loved it. Yeah, when they tried out for teams, they didn't have to compete against 200 kids. It was more like 25. And they were all very good athletes.

All our sons are very good athletes. So they made the teams. And we would go wherever they played. We'd go to York. We'd go to Trait. We'd go to Edward Little. We would go to all the games. And the kids loved it. And they met friends, and they got into hobbies.

And, you know, they all learned how to downhill ski here. And, you know, so, no, I think it was good for them. Their sons were great athletes, and Angel was a star player. He was on the Bonne Eagle varsity soccer team. And it was a close game down near the end, and the ball was up in the air, and all of a sudden, here's Tony jumping feet first and bicycle kicking the ball into the net to win the game.

So, and I was a baseball and soccer coach in seventh grade, and I had Tony on my team. So one of the things I had to be aware of is the coach's son, you know, and not to treat him favorably. And I might have been a little hard on him because of that, just to make sure the others knew I'm not treating him any different. But Tony was an excellent athlete and he made the team on his own merits. No one said anything and actually they liked him because Tony was very social, very well liked. He was popular in school. And his parents

recognized that he was particularly popular with girls. Sometimes too much. And the boys didn't like that. That was part of the issue with Tony here in Maine.

In the school. Well, he's very popular, and that used to upset a lot of the high school boys. You know, a little bit too, he was different. He's brown-skinned. And I hate to bring that up, but, you know. It's the truth, though. They didn't take well to different kids that were different, and especially when they're popular with the girls.

They were always a little resentful, and I had to step in sometimes and talk to these kids because I knew them, and they had at least a little bit of respect for me, and I just wanted to know what was going on. And they used to say that Tony flaunts the fact that he's popular with the girls and it bothers the boys, and so I would talk to Tony and tell him that you need to tone that down a bit. You don't want to upset people. You don't want to flaunt that. But it's sad that you have to say something like that.

Because, I mean, if you grew up in Maine, you know what it's like. I mean, when did you hear another parent telling you can do that? Because, you know, they're white, right? And that was okay. So when it came to the boys, it was a little different. And that's because they were brown skin. Beyond the popularity, beyond his athletic excellence, at his very core, Angel was also incredibly kind and thoughtful.

He cared about his family, and he had a very close relationship with his mother. There was never a time when we didn't hear much from him. He always called. And he loved his mom. He loved you too. He loved me too, but, you know, I'm dad, so. Yeah.

No, we had a good relationship. All the boys and me and Naciso have his special relationship and have my special relationship with them. He was never one to miss a special occasion, either with a visit or a call. I mean, that February, before he went missing, he stopped by where I work at China Chef to bring me flowers and a card for Valentine's Day, you know,

and that was nice. Out of nowhere, you know, he would do things like that for me. He was very giving. He was too giving. Too giving. He was very naive. He was naive, you know, and I think that was one of the problems that this happened to him. Because he grew up here, and he wanted to really mix with other people.

But it didn't work. Angel called his mom in May of 1999. He had some news. An announcement, really. He had called and said that he was going to be moving out of the dorms the following year. He was going to be a senior and he was going to be living with his girlfriend. So when he said that, I said, well, that sounds like a great idea. I think it's good.

I said, but you really need to bring her home. He's like, Mom, I'm 21. You think I'm going to bring her home? I said, well, you're going to have to if you think we're going to help you for one more year. So he listened. Ramona meant business. And ever the devoted son, Angel listened. Ramona meant business. And ever the devoted son, Angel listened. He brought his girlfriend home to meet the parents.

So he brought her over and obviously brought his dirty laundry with him. And we talked and Narciso talked with them. I talked with them. I talked by myself with her, you know, and they all went there to rent a condominium or some type of duplex down in Framingham area. You know, we were happy, you know, for him. We had our hiccups with Tony, but we felt that finally, you know,

we were very proud of him, that he was almost finishing school, and we couldn't wait. We were excited for him. That was the last time we had physical contact with Tony. That's where that picture comes in, over there. It's the photo that's most often circulated in the media when talking about Angel's case. It sat on the table with us as we talked that afternoon.

It was in a metal frame with an embossed flag of Puerto Rico on top. In the photo, Angel sits on the couch, leaning back with a gentle smile on his face. It was taken in the same home where we sat together, talking about the photo 22 years later. The same tapestry hangs on the wall behind him, and the ledge around the staircase is still decorated with family photos. It was the last photo of Angel, the last memory they have of him in their home. Ramona and Narciso did hear from Angel after that visit, on their anniversary, May 19, 1999. He called to give his parents an update on his plans to move in with his girlfriend, Beth. He told us that he was going to be staying with one of his college friends for a few days until they were able to move into the apartment.

And I said, okay, so he has given me his name and everything in case I didn't get in contact with him. But he called us on May 19, about 4.45 or so. And I see, like he said, he's an umpire, so he was getting ready to go to a game, but it was our anniversary. So, you know, he talked and we laughed and he said, Well, you know, I just want to tell you that I bought a sofa bed. So when you come over and I say, well, you know how I am. Maybe you want to sleep in the sofa bed when I go over. You have a bath and I can sleep in it.

So we sort of joked about it, really. And I said, but one day, Tom, you will know what it feels like to have someone so special. And I think you go in that direction. And that was really it. And then he talked to Narciso. And we both said, we love you. And he said, well, I'll call you by Thursday to give you my phone number to the apartment. And I said, oh, great.

She hung up the phone. To this day, Ramona remembers how she felt after that call. Well, you know, the minute he hung up, I was just feeling something. I don't know, it was just a mother's instinct, something, but I was feeling like something was just not right, honestly. Even because, you know, when he called, he was already in Bedford, which he never mentioned it to us. So, you know, I was feeling very stressful, to be honest.

I went to a party that Friday and I went with my good friend Ann Chappell who her son is Tony's best friend from you know they were in second grade all the way up and we walked down to the lake and I was telling her what I was feeling and she says what I said yeah I feel like something is gonna happen one of my kids you know I don't know you know and I started crying she said you want to go home? I said, yeah. So we came home again, you know, and every day until that Sunday. On Sunday, May 23rd, 1999, Ramona and Narciso Torres were at home.

CBS Sunday Morning was on the TV. They always watch it, they told me. It would have been 9 a.m. or just after. Maybe the clock on the wall with the familiar chime they were known for had just cued the next quarter hour, marking time as it slowly creaked forward. The mother, with an uneasy feeling, waited to hear from her son. The phone rang, but it wasn't Angel on the other end of the line. Instead, it was Angel's friend Irvin, also known as Cash. He was the friend who Angel was supposed to be staying with before moving into his new

apartment with his girlfriend. He called me to find out, hey, have you seen Tony? You know, have you seen Angel? Because they didn't call him Tony then in Framingham. It was Angel. Have you seen Angel? Is Angel there? I said, actually, no, I haven't heard from him. But he said, well, Beth is all upset because she thinks that Tony got cold feet, and that's why she having her from him. I said, well, I'm going to hang up, and I'm going to call Beth. Beth only echoed what Cash had told her. No sign of Angel. Ramona hung up the phone and found Narciso in the living room

watching their usual Sunday morning program. And I came over, and I said, well, let's call the police, he said. And I'm like, and that's what we did. A mother's instinct told her something was wrong. She and Narciso knew that even if Angel had a change of plans or went away for a few days, he'd still call. He always called. But it wasn't enough for the police to pay attention. Not right away. Narciso and Ramona ran into an all-too-familiar yet endlessly frustrating roadblock. They had to wait a few

days to actually report Angel missing. Because they said he was 21, he's probably on, could be on a bender somewhere, or he could be, could have taken off, and, you know, he'll be back. And so we actually had to wait a few days. We kept saying, no, he's, does it happen? No, he, and, but we, we said, he always seeks to call us, you know, to contact us, stay in touch with us, and we haven't heard from him. And so we were persistent. Finally, they took up the case. Twenty-two years later, Angel's case is still unsolved. Ramona and Narciso Torres are still

waiting for the call that would end the search for their son. What police learned during the earliest days of his disappearance, and the details investigators have uncovered since, the possible connections to an unsolved homicide months earlier, plus how the Torres family honors Angel's legacy and members of the community have stepped up to support the search for answers. There's so much more to Angel's story. It continues in the next episode of Dark Down East. An angel was small, you know, 7, 8, 9. I had longer hair. An angel used to like to comb my hair and make sure that my part was straight.

And he would, you know, I would sit on the floor and he'd sit on the couch and he'd, you know, just comb my hair. So that was something he did regularly. Every time he had a birthday, he would come into the bed before 536. And for years, as soon as he knew the time, he would say, he's 525, almost 536 for my birthday. So he would come into bed. Yeah, and I would say, but it's not 5.36, go back to bed.

So when he became a college student as a freshman, 5.36, I called him at school, at his room, and I said, happy birthday. He says, Bob, it's 5.36. I said, it is your birthday. I got it back. We try. We live a good life, and we always think about, what would Angel want to be thinking?

Yeah, that's what keeps us calm. Would Angel want us to be sitting around all day and crying and grieving and being depressed? I know, being depressed. I said, no, he'd want us to live life like before he went missing. And together. Yeah. Yeah. As we emailed and texted to set up this conversation,

I noticed that Ramona signed every message she sent with two words, forever hopeful. They serve as her guiding mantra. She will never stop. I will never give up. As long as I'm breathing, I will never give up trying to find him. You know, I hope I find him before he's gone or I'm gone. Those of you who know what happened to Angel

to somehow summon up the courage, I know you might continue to get intimidated, but if somehow you can relay whatever you know to the state police anonymously, it would be greatly appreciated.

It's been 22 years in that time. You might have had children of your own, so you can understand what it may be like to... You may know what it's like not to have your child around. I mean, you may not know, but just imagine what it's like not to have that child around anymore. So please, if you know anything, please summon up the courage to somehow get the information to the state police.

Please help us find out his remain bring him home main state police detectives are interested in talking to anyone who has more information about angel torres's disappearance please find the courage and bring this child home to his parents. Thanks to generous donations, the reward for information is now $20,000. Contact the Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit South at 1-800-228-0857 for in-state calls or 207-624-7076 for out-of-state calls. The Torres family honors Angel through two scholarships for students in their school district. The funds for the scholarships are raised five cents at a time, collecting and redeeming bottles and cans. You can make a donation to support this scholarship fund directly through Norway

Savings Bank in Bridgeton, Maine. Call 207-647-3344 to make a donation to the Angel Tony Torres Scholarship Fund. Thank you for listening to Dark Down East. Source material for this case and others is listed at darkdowneast.com, along with key phone numbers and contact information to share information about this case and all the cases I cover on Dark Down East. Thank you, Narciso and Ramona, for your trust. Be sure to follow Dark Down East on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, wherever you listen, so you get the next episode, part two of Angel Torres' story as soon as it's out. While you're there, leave a review or a star rating.

It's the easiest way to support this show and the cases I cover. Follow along on Instagram at darkdowneast and see key photos at darkdowneast.com. Thank you for supporting this show and allowing me to do what I do. I'm honored to use this platform for the families and friends who have lost their loved ones, and for those who are still searching for answers in cold missing persons and homicide cases. I'm not about to let those names or their stories get lost with time. I'm Kylie Lowe, and this is Dark Down East.