Luciana Muñoz She has been missing for almost a year and a half. The last time she was seen alive was on July 13, 2024 in the province Neuquenbut in the meantime no precise data about his whereabouts were obtained. Now the case is being investigated by the Federal judiciary under the hypothesis that the young woman was a victim of Human trafficking.
The transfer of the file from the provincial to the federal jurisdiction was a consequence of the request from the family and the Public Prosecutor’s Office (MPF) to investigate the case under the hypothesis of human trafficking. In this way, the commission of a federal crime would be suspected, which would go beyond the prosecutor’s office that has been leading the case since the opening of the proceedings.
This shift was not only due to the lack of search results, but also the presence of vulnerability factorsincluding the PovertyHe problematic drug use and the prostitution. The combination of these conditions would have increased the risk for the young woman in the face of possible human trafficking networks, according to the Neuquén prosecutor’s office.
That’s how it came to the bail judge this Tuesday Lucas Yancarelli decided to declare the state judge’s lack of jurisdiction and refer the case to the federal judiciary, thereby complying with the request of the family lawyer and the support of the public prosecutor. Both parties asserted that there were elements that warranted an investigation into the young woman’s disappearance as a suspected federal crime of human trafficking.
According to information from LM Neuquenthe transfer will mean that The Federal Prosecutor’s Office is examining the complete fileevaluate the actions taken so far and define new actions to clarify Luciana’s fate.
The Neuquén public prosecutor’s office stressed that, in addition to the lack of clues in the operations and searches carried out, it was also important to take into account a context of particular vulnerability that could have facilitated the recruitment of the young woman by criminal organizations.
One point that is still unclear in research is the role of M.Awho was identified as Luciana’s ex-partner. The judiciary indicted him in August last year false testimony on two occasions.
The charges against him were formulated after it was proven that he had declared this not being with Luciana on the day of the disappearance. However, various witnesses and technical experts located him near the young woman’s house on the same day.
For this reason, the defendant is put on trial for lying to investigators, while he remains the central actor – and so far the only one – with whom the prosecution must try to solve the incident. It is believed that he was one of the last people to see them.
In October the Ministry of National Security formalized the nationalization of the search for Luciana Muñoz and founded a Reward of 10 million pesos intended for those who provide useful information about their whereabouts.
The resolution was signed by the former portfolio holder Patricia Bullrich and published in the Official Gazette on October 31, also ordered the distribution of his image throughout the country Argentine Federal Police. This decision was supported by Luciana’s family and the Assembly for Luciana, which traveled to Buenos Aires in August to demand the application of the Palermo Protocol and ensure that the case goes beyond provincial borders.
Previously it was Neuquén Department of Security The reward for reliable information about his whereabouts had increased. The rise on 100 million pesos It was officially announced a year after his disappearance, but would not have yielded any positive results.
Luciana’s family reported her disappearance after the young woman left her grandmother’s house. Mirta Muñoz in the early morning of July 13, 2024. The last visual records of her have been preserved Security camerasin which it was observed walking alone and disoriented along streets 8 de Diciembre and 1° de Enero. Dressed black shirt, light jeans and black sneakers.
The search tasks included more than 1,000 hectares and inclusive Helicopter flights over 120 kilometersin addition to a comprehensive patrol of 45 kilometers of the rivers Limay And Neuquen through tactical ships and divers. More than 800 hours of recordings from public and private cameras were also examined.
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