Genesis Villela recalls being the most enthusiastic parent at her twins’ graduation in 2023, cheering loudly as Peter and Delilah walked across the stage. But in the midst of the celebration, a painful reminder hit her hard: her mother was gone. “I just don’t have her here,” the 28-year-old Bronx resident confessed, sharing her grief with a local publication. Her mother, NYPD Detective Miosotis Familia, was tragically killed in the line of duty on July 5, 2017.
Now, she’s speaking out ahead of a legislative hearing regarding her proposed bill aimed at granting orphans full access to death benefits. “There are so many important moments she should have been here for,” Villela said, full of emotion. But, she added softly, “her life was taken away.”
Villela was only 20 when she became a single mother to her two siblings after a gunman shot her mother. Since then, she’s raised Peter and Delilah with enormous determination, managing doctor’s visits, homework, and birthdays all while trying to keep her own dreams alive. She sacrificed a lot but always wore a smile for their sake.
“A part of me died that day,” Villela reflected on the day her mother was killed. She vividly remembers seeing her mother full of life just hours before, only to find her lifeless at the hospital later. Yet, even in her immense grief, Villela felt she didn’t have the luxury to wallow. Suddenly thrust into motherhood, she found herself with no steady job or funds and no access to the family death benefits she desperately needed.
She pointed out that many assume children of officers are well taken care of. “But the law is really discriminatory against orphans of first responders who lose their lives in the line of duty,” Villela said, emphasizing the lack of support for families like hers.
Villela decided not to disclose the particulars of Familia’s pension, although she mentioned that families of police officers who are killed can receive various benefits, including half of the officer’s final pay and some health benefits. However, these funds are typically only available to a deceased officer’s parents or spouses for life. Orphans, however, can only access these benefits until they turn 21, or up to 23 if they are college students.
Now 20, Peter and Delilah will lose their aid when they age out in 2028. Villela finds these limitations utterly unfair, labeling them “inhumane.” “The current laws don’t expect spouses or parents to hold full-time jobs to get benefits,” she noted, advocating for change.
Backed by state Sen. Gustavo Rivera and Rep. Jeffrey Dinowitz, Villela’s bill received approval in the Senate and got unanimous support from the city council. However, Congress turned down the proposal, deeming it too costly, though it is set to be reintroduced in 2026. If passed, the benefits would only apply from the date of enactment, rather than retroactively.
Villela’s initiative could potentially cost the city up to $200 million. She remains hopeful that lawmakers will prioritize equity over budgets, stating, “I never want another orphan to go through what I did. This is pure torture.”
She insists that police officers deserve to be recognized as human beings with families that matter. “Current laws just don’t acknowledge families like mine,” she lamented.
Familia was the first female officer in New York City history to be murdered in the line of duty, and Villela, who lost her father in a plane crash at just four years old, was left without parental guidance. She struggled and eventually dropped out of university in the UK to support her siblings.
A local charity, “Answer the Call,” offered some relief by providing $50,000 to families of officers who die unexpectedly in the line of duty. Since then, Villela has received an $11,000 annual stipend to help with college costs for her twins.
“The best way to honor Detective Familia is to support the people she loved most: her children,” said the charity’s executive director.
As they near adulthood, Villela is attempting to reshape her identity. She graduated last year, with her twins cheering her on, and is now focusing on a career in marketing and communications. “Being their mother is a massive part of who I am,” Villela explained. “Even as they grow up, they’ll always need me.” She’s also thinking about pursuing a law degree, motivated by a desire to advocate for orphans like her.
“I want to ensure that first responders’ kids are treated with the same respect as spouses,” she declared, not shying away from the battles ahead, whether in the courtroom or the classroom. “I’ve been a fighter all my life. My mom raised me that way.”
