Ayla Reynolds' mother speaks out
PORTLAND (WGME) — Tens of years ago, a case gripped Maine and the nation, the disappearance of 20-month-old Ayla Reynolds.
It’s been the most extensive investigation in state history but the truth about what happened to Ayla remains a mystery.
WGME sat down with Ayla’s mother, Trista Reynolds, who shared memories of her daughter and thoughts about what happened to her.
“I got one Halloween, one Thanksgiving, and one Christmas with her. It’s all we had,” Reynolds said.
“She was awesome. She loved to dance and she loved to smile. She’d wake up in the morning jumping in her crib,” Reynolds said. “That’s how I knew she was awake.”
In 2011, the Maine Department of Health and Human Services temporarily placed Ayla with her father, Justin DiPietro.
Two months later, Maine State Police said DiPietro reported the 20-month-old missing from his Waterville home.
Investigators ruled out any possibility that Ayla left the house by herself or was abducted, and said they found Ayla’s blood in the basement.
Police believe Ayla is dead, though her body has never been found.
Reynolds said she does not know what happened to her daughter.
“I do know that whatever did happen in that basement, she suffered a terrible death,” she said. “The evidence that’s come out. The things that I’ve seen. I try to piece it myself. But then it’s like, I don’t think I want to know.”
Three adults were in the home the night Ayla disappeared: Justin DiPietro, his sister, Elisha DiPietro, and his now former girlfriend, Courtney Roberts.
Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit investigators have said they believe all three are withholding information.
“Yep. And two of them have daughters,” Reynolds said.
“Whatever they hide and whatever they’re holding onto, that’s something that they have to live with for the rest of their life,” she said.
“I hope it keeps haunting them. And I’m hoping today and tomorrow, oh, I hope it’s haunting them really bad right now. I really do,” Reynolds said.
Reynolds has filed a civil lawsuit seeking to hold Justin DiPietro accountable for Ayla’s disappearance and death.
“It’s frustrating that for 10 years I’ve wanted the answers, but we’re not getting them,” she said. “That’s what I want. I want the truth.”
Reynolds is now living in South Portland with her two sons.
She and several neighbors have put up pink lights in memory of Ayla, who would have turned 12 this spring.
“I think about it sometimes. I think how life would be if she was here,” she said.
“My 8-year-old has now finally started asking questions about her,” Reynolds said.
“He asked, he said, ‘Is she in heaven? That was a hard one to take. And I said, ‘Yeah.’ And he said, ‘Does she have wings? Does she fly?’ I said, ‘She’s got the most beautiful wings you’ll ever see.’ And he said, ‘How do you know?’ And I said, ‘Because God made sure of it,'” she said.
Reynolds said when it comes to Ayla, her main goal is to get for her daughter.
