[1] Police discovered Figueroa's remains in a grassy, partially wooded lot in Chester, Pennsylvania, located 13 miles south of Philadelphia.

[9] As relatives and friends papered the city with flyers, a reward for information reached $100,000 which included donations from the restaurant where she worked and Philadelphia rapper, Beanie Sigel .

[11] Well over a month after her disappearance, police detectives received a tip from an acquaintance of Poaches stating that he had contacted them the evening prior asking to borrow a truck and inquiring about a body bag.

[13][14] Poaches was arrested and a judge ruled that prosecutors had enough evidence to try him on 2 counts of 1st degree murder for Latoyia and their unborn child.

PBS journalist Gwen Ifill referred to the phenomenon as "The Missing White Woman Syndrome" at the Unity Convention of Journalists in 2004 [19] This phrase was invoked by Professor of American Studies Sheri L. Parks[20] on March 13, 2006 during an interview with American news reporter, Anderson Cooper to describe a phenomenon characterized by critics as a short and cynical equation: Pretty, white damsels in distress draw viewers; missing women who are black, Latino, Asian, old, fat, or ugly do not.

Critics accused major news outlets of ignoring Figueroa's disappearance to focus on cases involving young, usually attractive, white women like Laci Peterson who was also pregnant when she was reported missing.

Conservative blogger Michelle Malkin, referred to this phenomenon as "Pretty Girl Syndrome" and said, "I'm embarrassed that there's so much air time absorbed by the latest missing-girl story.