Ex-Golden Hawk Cid Torrez has been arrested and charged with the murder of his wife, Vilet Torrez, who also was a graduate of Miami Springs Senior High. Tragically, the search and hope to find the missing mother of three still alive has turned into a search for her body.

    Cid Torrez, 39, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder on Nov. 21 at his parents’ home in Miami Lakes. In the warrant for his arrest, police say Cid Torrez killed Vilet on March 31 and is being held without bond. 

    The news broke on the eve of Thanksgiving Day. Since then, there has been a buzz among Miami Springs Senior High School alumni on popular social networking sites. The news has been hard for family and friends of Vilet (Blanco) Torrez. Vilet and her sister, Nayiva Blanco, were both Golden Girls at Miami Springs Senior High School in the ’90s. Cid Torrez also was a Golden Hawk in the ’90s.

    This past Thursday, Dec. 6 a Broward County Grand Jury heard eight hours of testimony and quickly returned an indictment meaning Torrez will stand trial for murder.

    Vilet Torrez was living in Miramar at the time of her disappearance. Police say the last time anyone saw her alive was on Friday, March 30. Cid Torrez was watching their three children that weekend. Surveillance video shows Vilet driving through the gates of the Harbour Lake Townhomes at 5:17 a.m. Miramar police believe her husband was inside their residence with the children. Video cameras did not record her minivan leaving the gated community.

    Her car was found in the parking lot of her apartment complex. Cid Torrez reported her missing on Monday, April 2, three days after she was last seen. Despite many months of searching, Vilet’s body has never been found.

    Circuit Judge Hope Bristol of the Juvenile Dependency Division ruled that the three children, ages 5 to 13, will remain in the care of their maternal grandparents. Cid Torrez won’t be allowed to have any contact with the children until the criminal investigation is complete.

    “The children are doing great,” said Nayiva Blanco, Vilet’s younger sister. “We are hoping and praying that authorities can realize that the children are in the safest place right now. Our main goal is to provide them with the emotional stability that they have been lacking all this time. We love and care for them just as my sister wanted it.”

    Cid Torrez, through his attorney, asked the judge to place the children with his parents. Judge Bristol ordered the State Department of Children and Families to do a home study of Torrez’s parents household. “The goal is to do what is in the best interests of the children,” said Paige Patterson-Hughes, a DCF spokeswoman.

    The Blanco family is asking the community to come together and pray for the children. Their desire is for the children to continue to be in a safe and loving environment, surrounded by the Blanco grandparents, the same grandparents with whom the children have spent much of their lives. From the moment they were born, Vilet’s family has played a very active role in the lives of the three kids. They have been surrounded by not only grandparents, but aunts, uncles and cousins who love them very much.

    In light of recent local and national news of cases where children have suffered the consequences of being in the wrong hands, the decision of permanent custody is a big one for Judge Bristol.

    Miramar police have not yet released any details about Vilet Torrez’s death or specifically why Cid Torrez has been charged with her murder. Miramar Police Department Spokeswoman Tania Rues would comment last week only that investigators have collected enough evidence to link Cid Torrez to the crime.

    Vilet’s family has found strength through this difficult time by leaning on their faith and their hope for justice. They have connected with many of Vilet’s friends from Miami Springs Senior High School via social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. People from across the country who have gone through similar situations or just want to be informed and updated with the case have also logged on to their site. It has also provided a way for the Blanco Family to find encouragement and share memories of their beloved and always-smiling Vilet Torrez.

    You can visit the public website at http://www.facebook.com/HelpUsFindVilet.