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Cali Launches Full-Scale Search for Baby After Mother's Murder, Authorities Seek Clues
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ด Colombia /Crime & Justice

Cali Launches Full-Scale Search for Baby After Mother's Murder, Authorities Seek Clues

From El Tiempo · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Cali authorities have launched a large-scale search operation for a baby believed to have been forcibly removed from her mother, who was found murdered.
  • A Unified Command Post has been established to coordinate efforts involving police, civil defense, the Red Cross, and various city secretariats.
  • Authorities are appealing to the public for information, offering a reward of up to 200 million pesos, and distributing flyers in key neighborhoods.

Cali is gripped by the horrific crime of Marรญa Camila Potosรญ, a 21-year-old woman eight months pregnant, whose murder has prompted an urgent and extensive search for her infant daughter. The baby is believed to have been extracted from her mother.

Mayor Alejandro Eder has directed the city administration to establish a Unified Command Post at the Melรฉndez Police Station. From this central hub, a coordinated operation involving the National Police, Civil Defense, Red Cross, Risk Management Unit, Casa Matria, and the Security and Citizen Participation secretariats is underway. This multi-agency effort aims to accelerate the investigation and bring those responsible to justice.

A "sweep operation" is being monitored in real-time around the Melรฉndez River, seeking evidence and testimonies. Simultaneously, authorities are engaging directly with the community through public address systems and door-to-door flyer distribution in critical southern Cali neighborhoods like Polvorines, Melรฉndez, and Alto de Santa Elena. This outreach aims to solicit information and highlight a reward of up to 200 million pesos offered by the Mayor's office.

Special police brigades are also active at transportation terminals, shopping centers, and residential areas, providing information directly to citizens. The goal is to ensure no detail is overlooked in the critical mission to find the baby and solve the crime.

All institutional efforts are focused on gathering information or evidence that will expedite the investigation.

โ€” Jorge Alexander MorenoActing Secretary of Security and Justice of Cali, explaining the coordinated efforts.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by El Tiempo in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.