Mister Venezuela finds boyfriend's body after 17-day search in earthquake rubble

Lenin Peña said goodbye to his boyfriend on Sunday at a funeral home in Caracas, having found his body after a 17-day search among the rubble of their shared home. The building in the coastal region of La Guaira collapsed during a double earthquake on June 24.

"I know I tried, I know I found him, but I feel like I didn't arrive in time. We wanted to last an eternity together," Peña told EFE during the wake. For the two weeks and two days of the search, Peña documented the process in real-time on his Instagram account, appealing for help and specialized equipment like an air hammer, a tow compressor, and a generator.

Despite diminishing odds of finding Paredes alive, Peña maintained his "faith intact," clinging to the hope that Yordy Paredes, a 22-year-old psychology student and Mister Mérida 2025, was still alive. "He will always be the love of my life, always, and I hope we meet again someday," said Peña, a 30-year-old doctor.

Peña, whose skin was reddened from days under the Caribbean sun amidst the ruins in La Guaira, listened to condolences from his partner's friends. The region, north of Caracas, was the most affected by the earthquakes, which have claimed at least 4,490 lives and injured 16,740 people. On June 24, a public holiday in Venezuela, Peña had left home to visit his mother and children in another part of La Guaira. His mother's home also collapsed, but they escaped. He tried to contact his boyfriend, but phone signals were down, along with other services.

Arriving at his building, one of many that crumbled in La Guaira, Peña found a scene resembling a war zone. "When I arrived, I found the building devastated. I didn't stop shouting, trying to locate him, because I didn't know if he had a chance to get out," Peña recalled. He searched the surroundings and visited a hospital before realizing his boyfriend was likely still in their home. He began searching the debris alone, later joined by a small group, then rescuers and firefighters. Peña urged them on, even as they considered abandoning the mission due to the danger. "Love, wait for me a little longer. I'm almost there, love, please," he wrote on Instagram on July 7, Paredes' birthday. By July 8, two weeks after the earthquakes, they had reached what was the kitchen of their apartment; two days later, they found the living room.

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Siempre va a ser el amor de mi vida, siempre, y espero que algún día nos volvamos a encontrar.