It has been two months since five-year-old Loan Danilo Peña disappeared close to 9 de Julio in Corrientes Province. Amid a case replete with irregularities, his family members have testified, forensic experts have done their work and seven people indicted for the kid’s abduction remain in jail. But there are still no signs of where the boy might be.
More than 60 days after the search for the child first began, Judge Cristina Penzo will soon have to confirm whether or not to send those indicted to trial: María Victoria Caillava, Carlos Pérez, Laudelina Peña, Walter Maciel, Mónica Millapi, Antonio Benítez and Daniel Ramírez.
Meanwhile, the results of key forensic tests which could give a new twist to the case are awaited. The DNA match of the bloodstain found on the front right mudguard of a white van of detained couple Pérez and Caillava remains to be known.
Although from the start the case has been catalogued as “abduction of a minor,” that could change according to the revelations from the forensic tests, sources close to the case told the Noticias Argentinas news agency.
Another question recently coming to light is that the defence lawyers of José Peña, Loan’s father, have requested the satellite tracing of the telephones of all the people who attended a lunch at the house of Loan’s grandmother Catalina that June 13, the date the child went missing. The court has approved the request.
The experts highlight that this tracing will permit the whereabouts of each of the participants to be located with greater precision before, during and after the kid’s disappearance.
Residents of 9 de Julio and other localities marched on Tuesday evening and Wednesday in Goya in front of the Federal Courthouse to demand justice and the boy’s appearance with life.
Midweek, reports emerged that prosecutors are investigating a second possible hypothesis of accidental death, rumoured to be related to the use of a shotgun deployed to hunt capybaras in the region.
The weapon, reportedly belonging to Ramírez, has not yet appeared.
Sebastián Ynsaurralde, the mayor 9 de Julio, testified before Judge Penzo this week. He admitted to local press that "there are things that were not done well" during the initial phase of the search for Loan.
“Evidently, there are things to correct, that were not done so well. There are protocols that should have been done in a certain way, and the things that are not done cost a lot to take them up again," he told the media after seeing the magistrate.
Questions over donations
One of Loan’s brothers spoke to the media this week after reports emerged that he had purchased a new high-powered motorbike.
Amid growing suspicions about the family’s transactions, the recent purchase of a high-powered motorbike escalated the criticisms in the social networks, requiring José Peña to explain the situation.
Peña, 25, said that there was "transparency" in the use of the funds donated to the search for Loan, amid intense speculation about the handling of multi-million-peso donations and other family tensions linked to the investigation of the case.
"The donations which we received have been handled transparently and are documented," assured José, one of the relatives questioned over the handling of the donations.
“The motorbike was for mobility to continue the search for Loan. It has nothing to do with the donations," he indicated.
The conflict erupted when it was revealed that José and Mariano Peña, brothers of the five-year-old, had received over 150 million pesos in their MercadoPago accounts, announced mainly to gather funds for the search of the child.
The information came to light after Judge Penzo ordered an exhaustive analysis of their bank accounts to "profile" the family, triggering suspicions as to the use of those funds.
"The digital wallets are under court trusteeship and we have nothing to hide," emphasised José, explaining that the money received has been used exclusively to finance the search for Loan and not for personal purchases.
Loan’s brother insisted that the most important focus is "to find the child," dismissing the criticisms and speculations surrounding the case.
– TIMES/NA/PERFIL
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