Marta Calvo disappeared in Valencia in November 2019 after meeting someone on an online dating app. She was 25 years old at the time. The last message her mother, Marisol Burón, heard from her stated that Marta was safe and gave the location of a house in the Manuel area. When Marta did not return home or answer the phone, her mother went to that address and met the tenant, a 41 year old Colombian man named Jorge Ignacio Palma. Palma denied knowing Marta and fled the scene that day. He was arrested days later. Civil Guard investigations led to a 2022 conviction: Palma received a sentence close to 160 years for the murders of three women, including Marta, and for eight attempted murders. Yet Marta’s body has never been found. Since then, Marisol Burón has fought to uncover the location of her daughter’s remains, even challenging the killer’s mother who resides in Palma. Burón is convinced the killer’s mother knows more than she shares.
Four years have passed since Marta Calvo vanished in Manuel, Valencia, and Marta’s mother continues her pursuit. While she suspects Marta is gone, she remains focused on locating her body, guided by what is known about the killer and the family dynamic. The mother of the killer, living in the Son Armadams neighborhood of Palma, is identified as a key figure in the case. Burón believes this person possesses critical information that has not yet been disclosed.
“They shared a very close bond,” Burón explains. “In the years leading up to Marta’s disappearance on November 7, the day after, the killer’s mother left Palma for Valencia. She was at the train station to pick him up, and they returned home together to celebrate a birthday. It is hard to believe the killer did not know what happened next to my daughter.”
Jorge Ignacio Palma, who was found guilty of murder, told the Civil Guard that Marta died accidentally and that he became frightened and decided to dismember the body and dispose of it in different garbage containers around the area. The Civil Guard investigators do not share this version. During exhaustive searches at the home, investigators did not find Marta’s blood. They even coordinated with waste treatment facilities to comb the area for remains, but their efforts did not reveal what they sought.
The killer’s mother appeared in Palma’s court in October 2021 but chose to exercise her right not to testify against her son. She left the courtroom without speaking. Burón questions this stance. “If he were my son and I believed him innocent, I would testify as needed to defend him. Why did she stay silent?”
Burón is convinced this woman protects her son. “Perhaps because she insisted Marta’s death was accidental and that if the body were found the cause would be evident. She must know where my daughter’s body is, and the hurt she has caused as a mother is evident. If my son were guilty, I would still want help to locate the body. If she does not help, it may indicate that she and her son share the same mindset.”
Burón criticizes the fact that Jorge Ignacio Palma remains free despite multiple arrests for drug trafficking. The man was convicted and sentenced to 160 years for killing three women and attempting to kill eight others; he allegedly drugged these women with high doses of cocaine intended to harm them. Burón calls him a serial killer and suspects there may be more bodies hidden nearby, a possibility that keeps her search alive.
In this relentless pursuit, Burón continues to press for accountability and clarification about Marta’s fate, hoping that someone with knowledge of the case will come forward. The case remains one of Valencia’s most painful and perplexing disappearances, with families still seeking closure and justice for Marta Calvo.