Cornejo has been missing since last month, and her mother was keeping candles lit in her absence in the hope of her safe return, but this week brought heartbreak.
Cornejo's mother confirmed to ABC13 that police told her last week her daughter had been killed.
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The Cornejo family previously lived in the New York area and just recently moved to the Houston area. ABC13 spoke with a family friend in Long Island, Melissa Tagarelli, who called Cornejo's mother as soon as she heard the news.
"I knew it was true, but I had to just hear it from her. I just expressed my sympathy," Tagarelli said.
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