Laia’s brother receives psychological treatment
A high profile case unfolds this Monday as Vanesa Muñoz Pujol and Cristian Lastanao Valenilla face charges tied to a brutal murder. The first is accused of failing to protect a child from the severe symptoms of fever, diarrhea, and pervasive fatigue. The second stands accused of abusing a two year old whose daily torment has left lasting scars. Reports describe severe punishments including chili peppers, hot sauce, confinement in a closet, or cruel treatment on a wall like a coat. Both defendants could face life imprisonment, with the possibility of a future review at the request of the prosecutor and the Generalitat of Catalonia, which acts as guardian for the victim’s elder sister.
The biological father of the girl also participated in the case as a special prosecutor. Manuel Ardilla, quoted by the news outlet El Periódico de Aragón as part of the Ibérica Press Group, expressed a hope that justice will be served. After nearly three long years, he entered court arguments to lay to rest his daughter in the Lloret de Mar cemetery. The father recalled that the judge had allowed a long delay of eighteen months while the family sought resolution and accountability for what happened to Laia in the town of Zaragoza and in the nearby region of Girona where the body was laid to rest.
Laia’s brother receives psychological treatment
Without the courage to go to court, Laia’s funeral might have been a charity affair as Vanesa Muñoz Lozano claimed she could not cover the costs. The family continues to fight not only for severe and permanent imprisonment of the accused but also to secure support for Laia’s siblings, including Lerye and Manel, who live with them. The address at Sánchez Arbós Street in the Picarral district of Zaragoza remains a site of pain and memory. A father describes his son attending a psychologist for night terrors for two years, unable to turn off the light, afraid to use the bathroom alone, and overwhelmed by the need to care for younger siblings. He speaks of exhaustion, of sleepless nights, and the heavy burden of trying to keep the family afloat while seeking justice.
“I’m devastated and exhausted. I cannot sleep at night, relationships feel distant, and my only strength is raising my children.”
“I’m devastated and exhausted, I cannot sleep at night, relationships feel distant, and my only strength is raising my children.”
The child’s death occurred on January 21, 2022, attributed to shock from peritonitis after repeated blows to the body. The duodenum was severed, the girl briefly collapsed, and investigators say she was placed in a bathtub filled with cold water. The Aragon Supreme Police Central Homicide Group led the forensic inquiry. Ardilla criticized the speed of the National Police investigation, arguing the case advanced too quickly and caused a lengthy trial delay. The findings leave little doubt about the brutality endured by the child.
Beyond questions of financial responsibility for the murder, the case highlights the role of institutions including the Zaragoza and Blanes courts, as well as social services in Aragon, which allowed the children to remain in the care of guardians who did not adequately protect them. The father asserts that the children should have been placed elsewhere and that the people in charge of welfare failed to act. He emphasizes that if proper action had been taken, his daughter might still be alive today.
Autopsy results reviewed by experts from the Aragon Institute of Forensic Medicine and Forensic Sciences revealed the severity of the ordeal. The examination detected traces of antidepressants, hypnotics, cocaine, and marijuana in the girl’s system. The presence of cocaine and marijuana suggests chronic use for several months prior to death. Toxicological analysis of pericardial fluid indicated submersion as a possible cause of drowning. Neighbors described Laia appearing drenched on the doorstep during reenactments of the events. The father notes that neighbors may have intervened sooner if they had witnessed the abuse and alerted authorities.