Woman claims to be one of Bradley sisters who disappeared from Bronzeville home over 20 years ago

CHICAGO (WLS) -- There has been a possible break in a Chicago missing persons case that's more than 20 years old.

Diamond and Tionda Bradley were 3 and 10 years old when they went missing in 2001. Now, a woman is claiming that she is Diamond, who would now be 25 years old.

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ABC7 spoke with the Bradleys' great-aunt, Sheliah Bradley-Smith, who said that woman turned in a cheek swab and fingerprints to the FBI.

"A young lady reached out on Facebook," said Bradley-Smith. "She believes she is Diamond Bradley, my missing niece."

Bradley-Smith had many long phone calls with a young lady who lives in Harris County, Texas this week.

"She pretty much said that she remembered being in a car and being around Tionda for a while, but then she said she was taken away and never saw her again," Bradley-Smith said.

Tionda and Diamond Smith disappeared from their family's Bronzeville apartment in the summer of 2001, nearly 23 years ago.

Over the years, the family has encountered numerous false-tips. Most recently, there was a young woman in Texas, in 2019, who also claimed to be Diamond.

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"It's been heartbreaking. It will lift you up, and give you the hope, and slam you back down to the ground," Bradley-Smith said.

This time may be no different. Bradley-Smith said there's only one way to know if this woman is, in fact, her youngest long-lost niece.

"I must admit, this is the first one that someone has been eager to go take a DNA test," Bradley-Smith said.

The FBI told ABC7 that Department of Justice policy prohibits them from commenting on any investigation that may or may not be occurring. Bradley-Smith said investigators have not given her any indication on when the DNA samples could be returned.