Without a trace or goodbyes: The heartbreaking disappearances of children in the country

Santo Domingo — “Somebody tell me if you have seen my son!” is the plea of some parents when they realize that their child has not returned home. While pain and uncertainty consume her, has he eaten? Is he cold or hot? Unanswered questions that pierce her soul.

Children and adolescents who, in the blink of an eye, went from school and family routine to the walls of uncertainty. An unknown that keeps Dominicans in suspense, demanding clarification of the mystery of their absences.

In memory of these silenced voices, Listín Diario presents some disappearances, linked to cases of sexual abuse and murders that come back every time they are brought to mind.

Brianna Genao: No trace since New Year’s Eve

Brianna Genao Gonzalez, 3 years old, disappeared from the sight of her relatives while playing in a hammock in the middle of New Year’s Eve in the community of Barrero, Puerto Plata.

After the similarities with the last cases of disappearance registered in the country, the search for little Brianna was intensified.

The authorities are distributed in seven teams of ten people, integrated by agents of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, National Police, Dintel and SWAT units, members of canine units, drones, Civil Defense, Army, Amber Rescue, and 911, all deployed in different mountainous areas of the locality.

In less than a week, authorities detained five people for investigation purposes. Among the detainees, three men and two women, not identified.

Yesterday, it came to light that the brothers, Rafael Rosario Nuñez, 52, and Reyes Rosario Nuñez, 43, confessed before the authorities to sexually abusing and murdering Brianna Genao. Both remain in police custody at the National Police station in Puerto Plata.

However, there is still no official word on where Brianna is or what happened to her, and the search for her continues.

Isaías Deversió: Childhood interrupted

Isaías Deversió, 2 years old, disappeared from his home in the Cañada Grande sector of the San Francisco-Vicentillo municipal district, El Seibo province, on Saturday, July 26, 2025.

On August 1, seven days were enough for the body of the little boy to be found lifeless and in a state of decomposition in a wooded area near his residence. However, to this day, the causes of the child’s death have not been clarified or determined.

Roldany Calderón: 284 days of anguish

Four months have passed since little Roldany Calderón, 3 years old, disappeared from his relatives’ sight in the blink of an eye, leaving no trace.

On the afternoon of Sunday, March 30, his parents, Efrain Calderon and Carolina Vargas, last saw the boy playing with two girls in the courtyard of his aunt’s house in Manabao, a town in Jarabacoa.

Today, family members, neighbors, and authorities are anxiously searching for the child throughout the town.

Since then, the pages of national newspapers have kept the case alive to the very end.

Liz María Sánchez: A crime without closure

On Sunday, August 16, 2020, Liz María Sánchez, 9 years old, disappeared. She resided with her parents, Licelot Garcia and Enmanuel Sanchez, in the Ensanche Isabelita sector, in Santo Domingo East.

At 11:00 a.m. that day, the girl entered the house of Starlin Francisco Santos, “El Panadero”, who, the following day, confessed to the authorities that he raped, killed, and threw the remains of the little girl into the Caribbean Sea.

After an intense search, the alleged criminal recanted his confession. To this day, the body has not been located.

Despite this, Francisco Santos was sentenced to 30 years for the sexual abuse and murder of the minor, a sentence he is serving in the penitentiary of La Victoria.

Abraham: The disappearance of a child with autism.

On Tuesday, April 11, 2017, the family of Abraham Baez Carrion no longer found him at his residence in the Valiente sector of Boca Chica.

The boy suffers from Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), a condition that prevents him from speaking. When he was only 7 years old, he disappeared, leaving no clues to unravel the mystery.

It is recalled that, after 10:30 in the morning, Abraham walked bare-chested and in black shorts. He left his home aimlessly, barefoot on a street that was unpaved at the time.

At 10:35 a.m., his relatives noticed his absence and searched for him in vacant lots near his home. To this day, the little boy has not been seen.

Yodalis Luciano: The interrupted route to school

On October 6, 2015, Yodalis Luciano was 11 years old when she disappeared without a trace from the El Valiente sector in La Caleta, Boca Chica. The minor suffers from sickle cell disease.

That day, the girl left home to go to the Hermanas Mirabal school to meet her classmates and do some homework, but she never arrived at the meeting point. Since then, her relatives have not lost faith in finding the girl.

In 2020, the case returned to the pages of national news media, which reported that the minor’s father, Johnny Luciano, had delivered letters to former president Danilo Medina and former vice president Margarita Cedeño, asking them to take an interest in the search.

Other unanswered cases

In April 2013, Wilbert Céspedes Montero, 12 years old, and Miguel Abreu Félix, 16 years old, residents of the sector Proyecto de San José, in the municipality Bajos de Haina, San Cristóbal, were reported missing by their relatives to the National Police.

At present, the children are still in the missing persons files of the law enforcement agency.

From Disappearance to Murder: Emely Peguero, Murdered Pregnant

Emely Peguero was 16 years old and five months pregnant when she was found dead inside a suitcase on August 31, 2017. It all started with her disappearance from the town of Conoví, Duarte province, on the 23rd of that month.

The pregnant teenager was last seen alive when she left home on her way to a clinic with her partner and the father of the child, Marlon Martinez. Days of intense search and anguish.

Nine days were enough to find her decomposing body in La Guama, Espaillat province.

The corpse presented blows to the head, cranial rupture, and cerebral hemorrhage. There was also evidence of the remains of the fetus she was carrying in her womb, a contusion of the cervix, and a perforation of the uterus.

The guilty parties were Marlon Martínez, sentenced to 30 years, and Marlin Martínez, who served two years in prison.