The child disappeared in June 2024 and today turns 6 years old. The human trafficking case is progressing, but nobody knows where he is
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This May 8, Loan Danilo Peña should be celebrating his sixth birthday. But the child has been missing for almost eleven months and justice still hasn't provided clear answers.
Loan was last seen on June 13, 2024, in the town of 9 de Julio in Corrientes. That day he went out to look for oranges with his uncle and other people. He never returned.
Loan Danilo Peña
The search activated the Sofía Alert protocol and mobilized national forces.
The investigation moved to federal jurisdiction
The idea of a disappearance was quickly ruled out. Justice suspects it is a case of human trafficking.
The case remains open with multiple lines of investigation, but without firm leads on the child's whereabouts.
Caso Loan: un testigo clave podría traer nuevas pruebas
Who are charged?
So far, seven people have been charged in the case:
María Victoria Caillava and her husband, former military Carlos Pérez, accused of human trafficking.
Antonio Benítez (Loan's uncle), Daniel Ramírez, and Mónica Millapi, charged with abandonment of a person.
Walter Maciel, former commissioner of 9 de Julio, faces charges of concealment.
Laudelina Peña, Loan's aunt, was accused of false testimony and child abduction.
The central hypothesis is that there was a coordinated maneuver to abduct the child, taking advantage of family trust and the rural context.
¿Quiénes están imputados?
Conflicts between lawyers and judicial scandals
The case also became media-focused due to fights between high-profile lawyers. Fernando Burlando represented Loan's family. Miguel Ángel Pierri represented former commissioner Maciel.
There were cross-complaints for obstruction and even threats of removal from the case.
Lawyers under scrutiny
Lawyer Juan Pablo Gallego was accused of keeping 12 million pesos intended for an expert report that was never conducted.
Juan Pablo Gallego fue denunciado por quedarse con 12 millones de pesos
Figures like Ricardo Osuna and Gustavo Briend, regulars in media cases, also joined the case.
Arrests for interfering in the investigation
In a parallel case, federal judge Cristina Pozzer Penzo ordered the arrest of nine people. Among them, lawyers and a police officer, accused of obstructing the progress of the investigation.
One of those arrested was Nicolás "El Americano" Soria, who claimed to work for foreign intelligence agencies.
