Thursday March 16, 2023 | 4:00 p.m.
Almost three years have passed since the disappearance of Cristino González, who went fishing with some friends in the Paraná River and drowned in the town of Cedrales, Paraguay. The man’s family still has no certainty about what happened to the body, but news that came from Misiones aroused the hope of finding his family.
González was 45 years old, he was from Ciudad del Este and according to his relatives he was found lifeless on October 29, 2020 in the missionary town of Garuhapé.
However, his niece Adriana Silva told El Territorio that for different reasons they still could not recognize whether the body found really belonged to him or not.
“It’s been almost three years of not knowing anything about him and as a family we are not well for that reason,” said Adriana, who recalled that October 18, 2020 was the last time they saw the 45-year-old taxi driver.
“We know that the body they found in Garuhapé is his. In the photos we saw we could recognize his uniform. His foot was identical and he had the same palate. Even though his face was disfigured, we recognized him well, ”he claimed.
When asked what had happened on October 18, the interviewee mentioned that that day her uncle went fishing as he used to do every weekend. She recalled that he “was very happy because he was going fishing with some neighbors and friends. That day three of them went fishing in the Yakare Kua area, Los Cedrales District, also known as the Peninsula area.”
Regarding the details of how Cristino drowned, he said that “according to the friends who went with him, my uncle and one of them got into a boat, while another stayed to fish from the river bank.”
“Then they moved away from the shore to be able to fish. They told us that the canoe at one point pounced and water began to enter. Later, through the investigations, we learned that that canoe had a hole, which caused the boat to begin to sink, ”he said.
In that line he mentioned that both his uncle and the other man, when they realized that water began to enter from all sides, they jumped to swim towards the coast but only one was able to get out. “According to what they said, the friend was close to drowning too, but he survived. My uncle was not so lucky. He disappeared from the water and was not found anymore, ”he lamented.
Cristino González (45) was last seen on October 18, 2020.
Regarding the possible cause of González’s drowning, the interviewee stated that “he was wearing work clothes. He did not take off his shoes or anything from his uniform, so when he got wet it would have been heavy and prevented him from moving quickly, because he knew how to swim ”.
In addition, he indicated that the security forces of the neighboring country reported that according to the witnesses and the investigation carried out, they determined that “it was unfortunately an accident.”
vigil on the river
In the despair of not being able to find Mr. González in any part of the river or in the surroundings, relatives and friends approached the scene of the event and began a vigil.
“We thought about not leaving that place until the body appears. The Navy also began searching the surroundings but nothing was found.”
Along these lines, those close to Cristino found out during the second week of vigil in the river that a body had been found on the Argentine side, specifically in the town of Garuhapé, approximately 200 kilometers from the place where it was found. last saw.
“A body appeared twelve days later in an area of Misiones. We saw that different media outlets reported the discovery of a body and that no one was able to go and identify it, ”he said.
“When we found out the news we made many calls to find out if it was my uncle. He tried in various ways and unfortunately we could not go in person due to the pandemic. It was impossible to cross, ”he explained.
He also said that they contacted the consulate several times and did not receive concrete answers. “They just told us that nothing could be done. The last thing they told us was that we had to wait five years for the drawer where the body is to be unearthed.”
In addition, the taxi driver’s relative commented that they informed her that they had to pay a lawyer for González to be repatriated to his country, although it would still be a long process.
Regarding the confirmation of whether the body found in Garuhapé was his uncle, Silva mentioned: “We no longer know how to act or what measures to take. I asked for many places and they do not give me an answer, ”he confirmed.
Finally, Adriana remembered him as “a loved man. He worked as a taxi driver, he was in the car day and night. He always gave himself a space on Saturdays or Sundays to go fishing. So far no one wants to believe that he is dead.”
The news of the body found
On October 20, 2020, the body of a man in his 50s was found. He was found on the banks of the Paraná River in the town of Garuhapé, without being able to recognize him due to the state of decomposition in which he was.
The discovery occurred around 1:00 p.m., on the river coast at kilometer 1750 in Colonia Tres de Mayo.
The body was found by a fluvial patrol of the Argentine Naval Prefecture that was touring the coastal area. The police doctor on duty who examined the body established that death was due to submersion.
By order of the Investigating Court No. 1 of Puerto Rico, the body was transferred to the Judicial Morgue for its corresponding autopsy.
