authorities regarding those acts,112 taking into account, among other elements, the steps taken to obtain justice and the existence of a close family tie.113 91. In this case, the State recognized its international responsibility for violating the right to personal integrity of the family members of Ms. Brítez Arce who were identified in the Merits Report. This is in addition to statements offered before the Court that verify that Ezequiel Martín and Vanina Verónica, children of Ms. Brítez Arce, have undergone uncertainty, suffering and anguish to the detriment of their mental and moral integrity due to the death of their mother and the acts of State authorities. The Court notes, for example, that Ezequiel Martín, a minor, remained for several hours in the hospital awaiting news regarding his mother the day of her death114 and that Ezequiel Martín and Vanina Verónica were informed of her death by a nurse.115 92. In addition, the harm to their right to personal integrity is due, among others, to the anguish that was produced in not knowing, to this day, the precise cause of the death of their mother; to their feelings of impotence and insecurity for the negligence of the State authorities in the search for justice and truth through legal proceedings; to the delay in the investigations, and to the harm and impact that their mother’s death had on their lives when they were adolescents. 93. The Court especially finds that Ms. Brítez Arce, in addition to being a seamstress,116 was the principal caretaker of Ezequiel Martín and Vanina Verónica and that her death impacted on their life plans. Thus, according to the statement provided to the Court by Ezequiel Martin, who was 15 years old at the moment of the occurrence of the events, the death of his mother caused the break up of his family.117 He and his sister had to change schools, neighborhoods, friends and their daily life. Ezequiel Martín had to live with his grandparents, who died a short time later, and Vanina Verónica went to live in the countryside with her aunts and uncles. All of this affected the forming of their identities. In addition, due to the circumstances when he was an adolescent, Ezequiel had emotional sequelae that led him to consume drugs and alcohol, affected his performance in school and impeded him from establishing stable relationships and lasting ties.118 Likewise, the changes in residence that he had to undergo to survive as an adult caused him confusion and insecurity with respect to his future.119 For her part, Vanina Verónica, after the death of her mother, moved to Rufino in the Province of Buenos Aires and was separated from her brother with whom she had little contact.120 In addition, she was not able to enter the university, which impacted her work opportunities, and, as her brother, her relationships and ties were affected by the trauma of the death of her mother and by the omissions of the authorities 112 Cf. Case of Blake v. Guatemala. Merits. Judgment of January 24, 1998. Series C No. 36, para. 114 and Case of Leguizamón Zaván et al. v. Paraguay, supra, para. 87. Cf. Case of Bámaca Velásquez v. Guatemala. Reparations and Costs. Judgment of February 22, 2002. Series C No. 91, para. 163 and Case of Leguizamón Zaván et al. v. Paraguay, supra, para. 87. 113 114 Cf. Statement of Ezequiel Martín Avaro in the virtual public proceedings of May 20, 2022. 115 Cf. Statement of Vanina Verónica Avaro in the virtual public proceedings of May 20, 2022. 116 Cf. Statement of Vanina Verónica Avaro in the virtual public proceedings of May 20, 2022. Ezequiel Martín stated before the Court that he has a distant relationship with his sister and with his father. Statement of Ezequiel Martín Avaro in the virtual public proceedings of May 20, 2022. 117 Ezequiel Martín stated before the Court that: “I fell into drugs and alcohol […], I didn’t have anyone to give me any kind of guidance. Then, truly that, I lost my way, I was a 14 year old kid who suddenly was without a mother, who was my support, then I began to hang out with the wrong persons, not on purpose, but because I didn’t have anyone to guide me, I began to have friends who weren’t the best and yes, this was a period of much rebellion […] I stopped going to school, I lived in the street, I went to the square with my friends, it took me two years to go back for the last year of high school.” Declaration of Ezequiel Martín Avaro in the virtual public proceedings of May 20, 2022. 118 119 Cf. Statement of Ezequiel Martín Avaro in the virtual public proceedings of May 20, 2022. 120 Cf. Statement of Vanina Verónica Avaro in the virtual public proceedings of May 20, 2022. 27