BUFFALO, N.Y. — Buffalo Police confirm a woman's body found in a South Buffalo backyard Tuesday afternoon is 74-year-old Ana Rodriguez.
Rodriguez's family says they are as well as can be expected right now. Buffalo Police officials say the South Buffalo woman died from hypothermia.
Rodriguez, also known as "Chiquita," went missing on Monday afternoon.
Police used their dive team, an Erie County Sheriff's helicopter, and even Niagara County Sheriff's canines to assist in the search for Rodriguez.
It was a drone that spotted her in a South Buffalo backyard on the same street she lived.
Rodriguez had dementia. Her nephew, Charlie Torres, believes she was on her way to a senior center she visits often.
He says Rodriguez just loved being around people and was the life of the party.
Rodriguez migrated to Buffalo from Puerto Rico during the 1970s. She planted roots in Western New York with two kids, four grandchildren, and 21 great-grandchildren.
Buffalo City Court Judge Betty Calvo-Torres is one of her nieces and says she loved to dance with her aunt.
Calvo-Torres says Rodriguez's kids have their own memories of their mother they'll cherish.
"They would tell you that it was everything about her," Calvo-Torres said. "I think that she lost one of her daughters at an early age and that daughter left behind four biological children, and she stepped in to take care of, nourish, guide and love the kids as if she were their mother is just a telling sign of who she is and who she was."
Rodriguez's daughter, Lianel, also known as "Nana," passed a long time ago and was buried in Puerto Rico.
Nana's mother will be buried next to her, after Rodriguez's funeral service this weekend.
Rodriguez's family also thanks everyone for all the kind messages and the Buffalo Police for putting so many resources into their search.