Colombian family reunited with remains of son missing for 25 years

For over 25 years, the Toloza family lived with the agonizing uncertainty of Carlos Yesid Toloza Díaz's disappearance. He left his home in Bucaramanga, Colombia, in the early 2000s, heading to Medellín in search of work, a journey that marked his last known steps.

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For more than 25 years, the uncertainty about his whereabouts became an open wound that the family carried in silence, until this July 31, 2026.

His mother, Chiquinquirá, and brother, Eduardo, endured decades of silence until July 31, 2026. On this day, the Search Unit for Persons Given as Missing (UBPD) identified and delivered Toloza Díaz's remains to his family in a dignified ceremony in their hometown. This marks a significant step in addressing the violence that fractured this family and highlights the UBPD's immense task of locating over 136,000 disappeared individuals.

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This is a step forward in the history of violence suffered by this family, within the framework of a titanic task that this entity has: finding more than 136,000 disappeared people.

Unbeknownst to the family, Toloza Díaz's remains were recovered by the Fiscalía just two years after his disappearance. His body was among 36 victims of forced disappearance linked to the armed conflict, found in Caquetá. These remains lay unidentified for years.

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He went to his mother's house to tell her what he had seen and suggest they go to the plaza together.

The path to closure began unexpectedly in November 2024. Eduardo Toloza, a taxi driver, spotted a vehicle with the UBPD's logo. This sighting prompted him to share the news with his mother, leading them to approach the UBPD. Doña Chiquinquirá recounted Carlos's story, providing details that initiated a formal search and a DNA sample. The genetic match confirmed the identity, bringing a measure of peace to a family long tormented by the unknown.

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The genetic sample was sent to the UBPD's profile bank, where the comparison established a match with one of the unidentified bodies that the Fiscalía had kept in custody since 2002.