The Guardian’s Journey: Genesis Villella’s Fight for Justice After Tragedy

In the packed stands of a 2023 high school graduation, Genesis Villella cheered loudly as her twins, Peter and Delilah, walked across the stage. Amid the sea of proud parents, her celebration was tinged with profound grief. “Not having our mom there to see them graduate was heart-wrenching,” shares 28-year-old Villella, who has rarely spoken in depth about her family’s tragedy since her mother, NYPD Detective Miosotis Familia, was fatally shot in the line of duty on July 5, 2017. That split-second shooting transformed Villella, then just 20 years old, into an instant parent to her 12-year-old siblings. “A part of me died that day, too,” she recalls, remembering the shock of seeing her mother “dead and disfigured” after having seen her “alive and full of love” only hours before. Despite her own devastating loss, Villella had no time to spiral into despair—she was suddenly responsible for two pre-teens, with no full-time job, limited financial resources, and no lifelong access to her mother’s death pension benefits.

The harsh reality that followed Detective Familia’s murder revealed a significant gap in support for orphaned children of fallen first responders. While spouses and parents of officers killed in the line of duty receive death pension benefits for life, orphaned children can only access these funds until age 21, or 23 if enrolled in college. For the twins—now 20-year-old juniors studying finance and psychology at an in-state university—this means their support will end by 2028. “Everyone thinks that the children of an NYPD officer are taken care of and protected,” explains Villella, “but the law, as it stands, is extremely discriminatory and punitive against orphaned children of first responders.” This stark inequity prompted Villella to draft a bill, sponsored by State Senator Gustavo Rivera and Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, both from the Bronx, which passed in the Senate earlier this year and received unanimous support from the City Council. Though the Assembly initially rejected the proposal as too costly, it will be reintroduced in early 2026, with Villella advocating for fairness over financial considerations.

The Familia family represents a historic first in New York—Miosotis Familia was the city’s first female officer to be assassinated in the line of duty, leaving behind orphaned children with no surviving parent to guide them. For Villella, the tragedy was compounded by earlier loss—her father, Nicola Villella, had died in the American Airlines flight 587 crash in 2001 when she was just 4 years old. Facing this unprecedented situation, Villella made the heart-wrenching choice to drop out of her English program at Falmouth University in the UK to care for her siblings, whose father is not actively involved in their lives. Fortunately, local charities stepped in to offer crucial support. Organizations like Answer the Call provided immediate financial assistance of $50,000 following Familia’s death, along with an annual stipend of $11,000 that will continue until the twins turn 25. “The best way we can honor Detective Familia is to help the people she loved the most, her children,” says Lauren Profeta, the nonprofit’s executive director.

Education was paramount to Detective Familia, whom her children affectionately called “Super-Mom” for her determination to provide them with the best opportunities. As the youngest of ten siblings and the first in her family to earn a college degree, she instilled these values deeply in her children. Villella recalls her mother’s prescient request when two NYPD officers were murdered in 2014: “My mom made me promise her that I would take care of Peter and Delilah if anything happened to her on the job. I’ve made sure to keep my promise to her.” Keeping this promise, however, has come with tremendous personal sacrifice. “I can’t even describe the experience of being in my early to mid-twenties and raising teenagers. I was totally unprepared,” Villella admits. The process of gaining legal custody was both expensive and humiliating, involving background checks and fingerprinting that made her feel criminalized despite her loving intentions. While her peers enjoyed the carefree exploration typical of young adulthood, Villella shouldered extraordinary responsibilities: “I’m 28, but for the last eight years, I’ve felt like I’m 45.”

The twins, now the same age Villella was when their mother was killed, recognize and deeply appreciate their sister’s sacrifice. “Having my sister take the role of a parent was one of the most pivotal moments of my life, and also one of the biggest blessings,” Peter told The Post. “Genesis took on great responsibility and pressure that no 20-year-old would ever envision for themselves. Through the trauma and the legislative battle, she still pushed through and showed me and my sister unconditional love.” As Peter and Delilah mature into young adults, Villella has gradually begun to reclaim aspects of her own identity and dreams. In 2019, she completed her degree at Falmouth University with her siblings proudly watching her graduation. She now works in marketing and communications for the Tunnels to Towers Foundation, which provides housing support to families of fallen first responders and military service members, including the apartment where Villella currently lives. Though the twins are increasingly independent, Villella acknowledges that “they’ll need me for the rest of their lives,” maintaining that being their mother figure remains a core part of her identity.

As she awaits the next Assembly hearing on her proposed legislation, Villella is turning her attention to potential career growth, particularly in law. “Now that I have some time to shift some focus back to myself, I want to continue to fight. I’ve always wanted to be an attorney,” she shares. Her passion for advocacy stems directly from her family’s experience, motivating her to ensure that orphaned children of first responders receive the same level of protection and support as surviving spouses and parents. Whether in law school classrooms or courtrooms, Villella approaches challenges with determined resilience: “I’ve been a fighter my whole life. My mom raised me like that—to have a true New Yorker’s mentality. You pick yourself up by your bootstraps and just do it.” Through her proposed bill and ongoing advocacy, Villella honors her mother’s legacy while working to create lasting change that acknowledges the tremendous sacrifice of fallen officers and supports the children they leave behind.