On June 2, 2023,Cecilia Strzyzowski was last seen entering her in-laws' home in Chaco. Security cameras captured her entering the house of Emerenciano Sena and Marcela Acuña. No one saw her again. That image became the last record of the 28-year-old woman.
The disappearance led to an investigation that exposed a sinister plot. There was a cover-up, destruction of evidence, connections with political power, and a series of macabre elements that pointed to murder. Although her body was never found, the justice system reconstructed the crime with compelling evidence.
Two years without Cecilia and a case that shocked the country
The engagement ring, a pendant, photos, and sixteen dental pieces that belonged to Cecilia were found in different areas of the Emerenciano neighborhood. A divorce certificate signed with a forged signature was also detected, just four days after her marriage to César Sena.
El clan Sena: Marcela Acuña, César Sena y Emerenciano Sena.
A crime with political and social ramifications
The magnitude of the case went beyond judicial boundaries. Emerenciano Sena and Marcela Acuña were not ordinary citizens: they were piquetero leaders with direct ties to then-governor Jorge Capitanich.
El entonces gobernador del kirchnerismo en la provincia de Chaco, Jorge Capitanich junto a Emerenciano Sena y César Sena, cuando era menor.
The impact of the femicide strongly resonated in the political sphere. The case triggered an institutional crisis in Chaco and contributed to Capitanich's defeat in the provincial elections. Cecilia's figure became a national symbol in the fight against gender-based violence and impunity.
Since their arrest, the Sena family has remained in maximum security prisons. César Sena was indicted as the perpetrator of aggravated homicide. His parents, Acuña and Emerenciano, are charged as primary participants. Other individuals involved —Gustavo Melgarejo, Gustavo Obregón, Griselda Reinoso, and Fabiana González— will face charges of aggravated cover-up.
The jury trial and a family forced into silence
This Tuesday, June 3, the third preliminary hearing of the jury trial will be held. The procedure, adopted by the Chaco justice system, will define nullities and technical issues before the start of the oral proceedings.
Cecilia's family, who moved to the south of the country for safety, chose not to hold public events. Her mother, Gloria Romero, reported that the Sena family "still controls everything from prison," alluding to the power connections the accused would still retain.
Meanwhile, Chaco society expects the justice system to rise to the occasion in a case that allows for neither shadows nor favors. The trial promises not only to judge a heinous crime, but also to expose the pacts of silence that surrounded it.
