‘We can’t be sure we'll find Loan,’ says judge about missing five-year-old

The judge leading the case into the disappearance of missing five-year-old Loan Danilo Peña has admitted the youngster may not be found alive.

More than 75 days after the child first went missing, Judge Cristina Penzo said she cannot be sure Loan will be found "alive or in any given condition,” adding that such a turn of events would be "a very heavy burden."

Nevertheless, she said investigators are giving "their best" in the search for the child.

“We’ll still give it our best without a doubt, but we cannot be sure to find the child, alive or in any given condition. I think that’s already giving us a very heavy burden,” the magistrate told local reporters.

Regarding the search for the child, the judge confirmed that “it is constant, both worldwide and nationwide."

“On that front I must also highlight the cooperation we have had from magistrates from across the country and internationally,” she added.

Loan was last seen on Thursday, June 13, close to the town of 9 de Julio, near the district of Goya, Corrientes. The youngster had travelled out to the countryside with family members before sharing a lunch at his grandmother’s home.

A large search operation failed to turn up any sign of Loan. Investigators, who initially treated it as a missing persons case, have also probed lines of investigation that suggest he may have been abducted and trafficked.

– TIMES/NA