Reconstructing the discovery of Michel Dahiana Henao’s body and the mystery surrounding her death: ‘It is impossible she got there alone’

Michel Dahiana Henao disappeared from Buriticá and was found dead eight days later in a mountainous area where rescuers had been searching. The discovery came after a group of vultures was seen circling over the Alto del Chocho, guiding attention toward a place that had not been part of the original plan.

The six-year-old left her home in the Cristo Rey neighborhood, near one of the roads leading toward the municipality’s rural areas and only a few blocks from the local hospital. Her family reported her disappearance to the municipal fire department at 1:43 p.m. on Aug. 24.

Michel suffered periodic epileptic seizures, with one occurring roughly every 20 days. Aug. 24 was the twentieth day. Officials have released little information about what happened after she left home. Investigators know she passed a nearby flower shop, and its security camera captured the last known image of her. The footage showed what she was wearing and helped authorities consider which routes she might have taken.

Ground teams searched Buriticá and nearby rural areas during the first days, but found no clues. On Aug. 26, Antioquia’s Secretariat for Security, Justice and Peace joined the operation and distributed a notice bearing the girl’s photograph. Technology was later added to the search.

Antioquia Governor Andrés Julián Rendón announced the discovery on the afternoon of Aug. 31, while rescue workers were still forcing their way through the wooded terrain. Fire department commander Rubén Darío Urrego described the discovery to EL TIEMPO with some reserve. The recovery of the body has shifted the case from a missing-child search to an investigation filled with questions about how Michel reached such a difficult location and what happened to her there.

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It is impossible that she got there alone.