Cold case victim’s loved ones return to Bridgeport to push for answers 33 years after killing
Milagros Nieves, 49, was stabbed to death in her Bridgeport apartment in front of her baby granddaughter in 1993. Now, 33 years later, the family is making a renewed push for answers.
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On Sept. 22, 1993, 8-year-old Vanessa Lind got off the bus in Bridgeport after school expecting to see her grandmother waiting for her. Milagros Nieves always met her granddaughter at the bus stop.
“I spent a lot of time with my grandmother,” Lind said. “My mom was a young mom, and grandma’s rule was, ‘You go to college, you make your life better. I’ll take care of the kids.’”
But that day, Nieves never showed. Lind told News 12 she ended up walking to her grandmother’s sister’s place nearby.
“When she opened the door, I will never forget her face. She was surprised I was alone, and she hadn't seen my grandmother per usual for their morning coffee, so she knew something was wrong,” Lind shared.
Family soon learned that Nieves’ boyfriend found her dead in their apartment on Iranistan Avenue. Police said Nieves, 49, was stabbed 33 times while babysitting another granddaughter, Lind’s 18-month-old cousin.
“She had a yellow onesie on, and she had blood on her face. She was covered in blood,” Lind said, recalling how she tried to clean up her cousin.
Overwhelmed by grief, Nieves’ family left Bridgeport for Florida to try and put the pain of losing the family matriarch behind them.
“The memory never leaves you, but because it was traumatic for my mom and her siblings, we didn't talk about it at all, honestly,” Lind said.
But when Lind became a teenager, she made a commitment to try and get justice for her grandmother. Lind said she started learning about investigative work and the nonprofit Project Cold Case. Still, her family, including her mom Annette Perez-Ford, didn't want to discuss what happened.
“We just couldn't talk about it,” explained Perez-Ford. "My mom was everything to her children. We were so focused on our own grief. So, Vanessa grew up in a family that wouldn't talk about the love of her life, which is my mother.”
Until now.
This week, Perez-Ford joined her daughter in Bridgeport, returning to the city for the first time since moving away. She and Lind met with the current detective handling the cold case, Detective Jeffrey Holtz.
"It brought a lot of clarity, not only for us, but for Detective Holtz as well, because we were able to share information that we didn't know before," Lind stated.
The visit came after Nieves’ unsolved murder received national attention. It was featured on an episode of the popular true crime podcast “The Deck” earlier this month.
“Being here with my daughter talking about it, talking about this for the first time ever—it’s now that I’m learning that was a big mistake,” Perez-Gomez shared. “But we were children ourselves.”
“We feel like my grandmother is at work here,” Lind added. “It sounds weird, but it's like we can feel her. We needed to do this. It's almost like it's the healing that didn't happen before.”
Lind and Perez-Ford said for the first time, they are optimistic about someone finally coming forward with answers.
“Please, it's time. My family has suffered for so long. My mom deserves justice. Please, please share,” Perez-Ford pleaded.
Anyone with information should call 203-576-TIPS or Detective Holtz at 203-581-5293.
