3
Claudina’s parents’ house to ask after her son’s whereabouts because a male friend of his had told her
that he was with Claudina. She also wanted to inform them that at around 1:30 a.m. she called
Claudina’s cell phone and as she was speaking to her she heard screams of “No, no, no!” whereupon she
said to her son Eduardo, “Something is going to happen to that girl. She might be killed.” For that reason
she went to Claudina’ parents’ house.
12.
Claudina Isabel’s parents immediately launched a search for her, together with Pedro
Julio Samayoa’s mother and the persons who were with her. They said that they went to where the
party had been held. At around 2:55 a.m., while waiting at the security barrier to Colonia Panorama,
Pedro Julio Samayoa’s mother told them that she had just received a call from her son Pedro Julio, who,
in tears, had told her that he had arrived home. As a result, she left, offering to look for Claudina Isabel
along the cliffs on the way to her house.
13.
While they were waiting at the security barrier, Claudina’s mother used her cell phone
to call the National Civil Police and they waited for a patrol car to arrive, which did so at around 3:00
a.m. They immediately told the policemen what had happened and said that they wanted to report their
daughter’s disappearance. However, the policemen told them that they had to wait at least 24 hours
before filing a missing person’s report.
14.
The petitioners said that Mr. and Mrs. Velásquez Paiz carried on looking for their
daughter. At approximately 5:00 a.m. the parents of the alleged victim went to National Civil Police
precinct 1651 located in Ciudad San Cristobal to report the disappearance; however the petitioners say
that they were again told by the police that 24 hours had to elapse since her disappearance before they
could receive the report. They say that it was not until 8:30 a.m. that the family was able to file a missing
person’s report with the police, which, in spite of that, did not initiate a search.
15.
At approximately 10:30 a.m. on August 13, 2005, Mr. Velásquez received a call from a
family friend telling him that there was an “unidentified” body at the morgue of the Judicial Coroner’s
Office (Servicio Médico Forense del Organismo Judicial) that matched his daughter’s description.
Claudina Isabel Velásquez was identified by her parents at the morgue at around 11:00 a.m. The alleged
victim’s corpse, which was removed as “XX” (Jane Doe), had been found at 5:30 a.m. on August 13, 2005
at 10 Avenida 8-87 “A”, Colonia Roosevelt, Zone 11, Guatemala City, by National Civil Police agents who
arrived at the scene in response to an anonymous telephone call. No one informed the Velásquez
family.
16.
The petitioners said that at approximately 9:00 p.m. that same day, while the family was
holding a wake for the corpse, officials from the Public Prosecution Service’s Crime Scene Experts Group
had arrived at the funeral home to take the alleged victim’s fingerprints. They said that the family was
dismayed, humiliated, and offended by the tactlessness of the visit and the absurdity of the
requirement. Nonetheless, the family agreed on the condition that the corpse be removed from the
viewing area and taken to a more discreet location.
17.
They said that the alleged victim’s murder had occurred within a broader context of
impunity and denial of access to justice that female victims of violence faced. Furthermore, many
investigations were driven forward by the families, who were also not given the treatment or attention
they deserved, putting them through severe emotional and psychological distress.