Missing Woman’s Remains Found Four Years After She Disappeared
Posted December 4, 2007 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
She’s been missing for more than four years, but we finally know what happened to Frania Cardenas. The 33-year-old disappeared in November 2003, and she wasn’t the only one to vanish. Her estranged husband, Yanga Barri Wanji, also fled the country shortly after she failed to show up. A second degree murder warrant was issued for his arrest.
But for almost half a decade, the mystery of where his wife’s body might be was shrouded by the secrecy of the Ontario landscape. It finally surrendered that terrible clue last month, when a hunter stumbled upon human remains while roaming through some overgrown bush near Bracebridge.
Police and a forensic unit were called to the scene and began processing the long hidden evidence. After almost a month of tests that included matching the remains to the known characteristics of a host of other missing persons, they were finally able to put a name to the victim. In the end, it was Cardenas’ own teeth and medical records that finally made the long sought after I.D. possible. But the exact cause of death hasn’t been determined and it’s not clear if there’s enough left for the coroner to ever make an accurate assessment.
Police have long believed that her husband murdered her and they allege he disposed of her body in the remote area, hoping it would never be found. But this case is far from over.
Cops admit they have no idea where Barri Wanji is now and the warrant they issued for his apprehension four years ago remains in effect. Cops are hoping one find eventually leads to another and vow they won’t stop searching for him until he’s returned to Toronto to face justice.
