The investigation into the 2021 disappearance of Ibrahima Diouf, a 32-year-old Senegalese day laborer, centers on the annual Three Wise Men parade in Villacarrillo, Jaén. Local authorities believe that the key to solving the case may lie on the phone of one of the town’s roughly 10,700 residents. Detectives think this device could reveal what happened to Diouf as he was last seen on January 5, 2021, while he was in the olive groves nearby. Citizens are urged to share any information from that period, including photos, videos, and other digital material captured on public streets, to help clarify the events of those days. Investigators note that patterns observed during the parade and other street activity coincide with the day Diouf disappeared, suggesting critical moments captured by residents’ devices.
Another day’s worker missing
Diouf was last seen in the company of a seasonal worker who reported his disappearance under unusual circumstances. The man, who worked for a local businessman, had previously trained Diouf in the olive groves. Diouf had recently told colleagues that he planned to quit his job and travel with his partner to Cartaya in Huelva, where he had picked oranges in past seasons. He never reached that destination and contact with him was lost.
The Civil Guard continues the search for Diouf, cooperating with families and friends who are scattered between Senegal and Spain. A sense of confusion followed as the worker vanished without any obvious reason, and there were no signs explaining the sudden silence from his circle and surroundings in Villacarrillo.
According to colleagues, the last person seen with Diouf prior to the disappearance was his employer, a businessman whose whereabouts remain under scrutiny. Investigators have identified the businessman as a central figure, especially since a prior case involving the same employer included the disappearance of another young African man who worked for him eight years earlier. That worker, Tidiany Coulibaly from Mali, vanished after a dispute over wages in a home shared by multiple laborers, raising concerns about working conditions on the premises.
GPR, excavators and divers
Officials from the Central Operations Unit Jaén Command and the Civil Guard’s Criminalistics Service registered several properties tied to the businessman, including a garage where traces of Diouf had previously been found. Investigators also conducted georadar surveys around the employer’s residence and a garden well used to house workers, staying under supervision by authorities.
The Benemérita’s Specialized Underwater Activities Group conducted inspections of nearby natural pools in search of any sign of the missing man. They also scrutinized the old Baeza-Utiel railway tunnels and conducted excavations in a local dump to locate possible evidence that could shed light on the case.
Eight years prior to Diouf’s disappearance, another migrant worker, Tidiany Coulibaly, had vanished from the same property. Coulibaly, a 22-year-old from Mali, had raised concerns about his wage and living conditions after speaking with the employer about fair pay. The case drew renewed attention to the working conditions at the site where both men labored and raised questions about protections for immigrant workers.
“He harassed them”
The Jaén court later examined the business practices used by the employer. It found that wages were paid in the 20 to 30 euro range for daily labor, well below the then minimum wage of roughly 50.36 euros. Deductions were made for materials workers allegedly damaged during shifts, and many workers operated under irregular conditions without formal registration. The court concluded that the employer engaged in deceptive and harassing practices toward foreign workers who often faced language barriers and limited legal protections.
The court convicted the employer of obstructing justice but acquitted him of kidnapping due to insufficient evidence. The ruling underscored the vulnerability of immigrant workers and highlighted the need for stronger oversight and protections for labor crews in such environments.