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Missing teenager rescued, Argentine detained in Paraguay
🇵🇾 Paraguay /Disasters & Emergencies

Missing teenager rescued, Argentine detained in Paraguay

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • A 17-year-old girl reported missing in Asunción, Paraguay, has been rescued.
  • An Argentine citizen was detained during the operation, and authorities are investigating a possible human trafficking case.
  • The rescue followed the activation of the Alerta MAFE protocol after her family reported her disappearance.

A 17-year-old girl, previously reported missing, has been safely located during an operation in Asunción, Paraguay. A citizen of Argentina was apprehended at the scene, and the Public Prosecutor's Office is now investigating a potential human trafficking case.

The rescue operation was initiated after the activation of the "Alerta MAFE" protocol, following a report filed by the teenager's family. Agents from specialized departments within the National Police, including those focused on combating human trafficking and searching for missing persons, executed the operation.

The teenager was found near an amusement park in Costanera Norte.

— Humberto AquinoPolice Commissioner of the Anti-Human Trafficking Department, on the location where the girl was rescued

According to Police Commissioner Humberto Aquino of the Anti-Human Trafficking Department, the teenager was found near an amusement park in Costanera Norte. Police officers recognized her from a photograph circulated via the Alerta MAFE alert, enabling them to surround the area and detain the man accompanying her.

The suspect has no known family ties to the girl and, according to the preliminary statements of the parents, he may have taken her from the interior of the country to Asunción against her will.

— Humberto Aquinoregarding the relationship between the detained man and the rescued teenager

Aquino stated that the suspect has no known family ties to the girl. Preliminary information from the parents suggests the man may have taken her from the interior of the country to Asunción against her will, though the exact circumstances are still under investigation. The police have not yet confirmed reports of the girl being blindfolded during her transport, pending further investigation and her formal testimony.

The rescued teenager is reportedly in a state of emotional shock. While initial medical assessments indicate she is in good physical condition, investigators are awaiting evaluation by forensic psychologists from the Public Prosecutor's Office before taking a detailed statement. The family's lawyer, Jorge Álvarez, mentioned that the detained suspect allegedly sent death threats via text messages, which prompted the urgent activation of the search protocol.

The detained suspect allegedly sent death threats via text messages, which motivated the immediate activation of the search protocol.

— Jorge ÁlvarezLawyer for the family, explaining the urgency of the rescue operation
DistantNews Editorial

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

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