Facundo Astudillo Castro: a friendly, kind, fun-loving music fan

Facundo Astudillo Castro, or “Kufa” as they called him, was a friendly, skinny, music-loving Boca Juniors fan. According to his mum, he was an affectionate, fun-loving young man. 

Missing for more than 100 days, on Wednesday judicial officials confirmed that skeletal remains found by fishermen in the lagoon zone of Villarino Viejo were from his body.

‘The kid the whole town knows’

Facundo came from Pedro Luro in the district of Villarino, some 120 kilometres to the west of Bahía Blanca in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina’s most populous region. 

The second of three brothers, Facundo had the habit of affectionately calling his mother “bruja” (“witch”). It was customary to see him carrying a thermos flask, mate, or with his headphones listening to music, according to those who knew him closely.

When his disappearance was confirmed, a message from a close friend circulated on WhatsApp, describing his nature.

“Facundo is the kid the whole town knows, who goes out with his thermos and mate and, on the way from one place to the other, stops to chat with anybody who crosses his path, a (good) friend, brother and also son, a kid without a mean bone in his body with goodwill such as few have, who sets about making you pizzas for your birthday and you know that half of them are going to be burnt but you let him do it because he does it with all his heart and the best of intentions. His cheeky comments could leave you in stitches for hours, a kid who would walk down the street with his headphones singing hip hop and rap, that kind of person who would not disappear just like that because he still has much to teach and to give to his people,” read the message. “Where are you, pal?”

‘I have no words’

Following official confirmation that the remains found on August 15 in Villarino belong to Facundo, that same friend wrote another message.

“I have no words to describe what I feel, I had the hope that it was all simply a misunderstanding and that you would appear smiling, it’s only just starting to sink in, pal, and how it hurts,” it read.

On August 23 Facundo would have turned 23. Eight days beforehand they found his body in swampy ground near Villarino, between Pedro Luro and Bahía Blanca where he was heading to see his ex-girlfriend.

“Fly high, my child,” wrote his mother, Cristina Cristina, in a message posted to social networks after the results of DNA testing came back.

The family asks for justice and holds Buenos Aires provincial police officers responsible for his death.

“My child, let your drum sound so loud that it gives no peace to those who did you so much damage,” wrote Cristina. “Your witch will light a candle for justice to be done for you until we can embrace again.”