The stigmas that hinder investigations of missing people in DR

Not providing all the necessary information for the police investigation is one of the challenges facing the investigation of some cases of missing persons. Without naming any specific cases of recent disappearances, a source from the National Police involved in the investigation told Diario Libre that when relatives and relatives file complaints, they withhold personal information or recent events about the missing person that could aid in solving the case or locating evidence that would allow the investigation to move more quickly.

The National Police source confirmed that it is true that there are gay people among the disappeared, and that more than 90% of reports of disappearances in the Dominican Republic have been solved. They did, however, disclose that the complainants concealed this information, and that the investigators frequently learned about the relevant data only after it had been furthered and other friends and relatives had confirmed it. The gay community needs to know this information as soon as possible because there is a real problem with robberies and kidnappings that target members of the LGBT community. Criminals often find potential victims on the social network Grindr.

The disappearance of young people is stigmatized in a similar way. A large percentage of reported missing minors are connected to sexual relations, according to the police source, which is always cited. Family members are reluctant to share information out of concern that those who read the police report will judge their son or daughter and disregard the case. However, the investigator emphasizes that this should be the starting point because it might be a person the missing person trusted who would reveal information that adult relatives would not have, or the investigation can start from there.

Surprisingly, despite its importance to the investigation, the relatives choose to ignore disclosing information about the missing person’s mental state. The source with extensive knowledge in these cases claims, “You would be surprised to know that the relatives do not say if the son or daughter was bullied at school or university, if they felt discriminated against, or if they were going through a depressive process before the disappearance.