In a recent interview, Javier, Diego's brother, stated: "I feel empty. My father died searching for him. In 1991 he was run over by a truck." He also said that he hopes for justice: "Ideally, it would be to know why."
The discovery that changed everything
The discovery of the body happened by accident. While building a wall, workers noticed a collapse in the backyard of the house and found human bones.
The story gained public attention when it became known that Gustavo Cerati had lived there, who had rented the house to Marina Olmi. It was then that one of Diego's nephews suspected that the remains could be his and contacted the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team (EAAF).
DNA confirmed that it was Diego Fernández. The autopsy revealed that he died from a stab wound in the area of the fourth right rib. Failed attempts to dismember the body with a saw were also detected. He was hastily buried in a pit just 60 centimeters (2 feet) deep.
Among the objects found with the bones were: a size 41 shoe, a blue school bow tie, a keychain with a key, a Casio calculator watch, and a 5-yen coin that Diego carried as a good luck charm.
A crime silenced for decades
The case remained ignored for more than 40 years, while Diego's family searched for him without answers. Chance, combined with forensic work and the memory of those who shared his life, reactivated a case that could finally be approaching the truth.
The next judicial step will depend on the value of the new testimony and the prosecutor's decision. Although the statute of limitations threatens to close the case without convictions, the emergence of a suspect rekindles hope: that, after so much silence, someone will answer for what happened to Diego.
