Whereas it is perhaps true that the circumstances are progressing, households of the lacking argue they’re shifting at a snail’s tempo.
Since early December, Fault Traces has hung out with households who’re pushing for accountability and pleading with the federal government to be taught what occurred to their family members.
In some circumstances, they’ve spent years with out receiving any direct response.
“It will get tougher each time my nephew asks when his father will come residence and I don’t have any solutions,” mentioned Rosario Villon, whose brother, Jonathan Villon, has been lacking for nearly a yr and a half.
The 31-year-old father of three was final seen on December 9, 2024, when he left to choose up groceries in his hometown of Guayaquil.
Addressing a vigil for Jonathan final December, Rosario defined the toll his disappearance has taken on her household.
“Seeing my mom cry for her son, not understanding what to do subsequent to deliver him residence — it isn’t straightforward,” she mentioned.
Fault Traces has reviewed footage of the day Jonathan was detained. Safety cameras present troopers patrolling Jonathan’s neighbourhood, Nueva Prosperina.
A neighbour’s cell phone video additionally captures the moments after Jonathan was compelled into the truck’s mattress, underneath a picket bench. The truck then drives off, and he has not been seen since.
The household recorded the licence plate numbers of the municipal automobile the troopers had been utilizing, however the navy has refused to answer requests about Jonathan’s case.
“We’ve got the proof, we’ve movies, we’ve the licence plates of the truck, and so they will not give us a concrete and actual reply. What occurred to my husband?” requested Jonathan’s associate, Yadira Bohorquez.
Legal professionals representing the household say the navy merely declared that it had no operations in that space on that date, regardless of the video proof.
“The case of Jonathan Villon is totally paralysed by the refusal of the Ministry of Defence to cooperate in handing over data that the Prosecutor’s Workplace has already requested,” mentioned Fernando Bastias, a lawyer with CDH Guayaquil, a human rights nonprofit representing the household.
