“I’ll be back in an hour”
In Hortaleza, Madrid, a calm afternoon spiraled into fear when a threat was delivered in a street called Calle Santa Susana. The price of that threat was set at two hundred euros. Juana Páez reported to the police about her son, Francisco, who had gone with two friends to visit someone who owed him money. No payment arrived, only a chilling warning: a family known for danger would take him and end his life, a message that echoed in the minds of those who know him well.
After the threat, Francisco de Pablo Páez, aged 32, vanished. His last sighting was Monday, March 21, at 4:30 p.m. Three months passed without a trace. The investigation initially reached a dead end in the forensic arena, and Madrid’s 27th Civil Court of First Instance closed the case shortly after the report. Yet Case Open recently revealed that the court reopened proceedings on June 13, at the family’s request. Juana Páez’s single wish remains unwavering: to find her son alive or dead, and to bring him home. She cannot bear the ache of waiting any longer.
The Independent lived alone for a decade, and with the passage of time she became 32 years old, still searching for a resolution.
“The police were clear from the very beginning that my son’s disappearance was not voluntary, that there was something behind it.”
The inquiry began a week after the disappearance. A call to Juana confirmed that something had gone wrong. “Someone told my brother Francisco wasn’t there,” remembered the mother. Calls to the home later showed a voicemail stating, “The phone you’re calling is switched off.” Distress drove Juana to the National Police station. The police maintained that the disappearance did not happen by choice; they noted signs pointing to a deeper issue, likening the search to finding a needle in a haystack.
About a week later, some of Francisco’s friends provided more details. On March 30, Juana expanded the complaint. In information accessed by Prensa Ibérica through the Caso Abierto portal, new data emerged: complex social circles, financial troubles, fabricated claims of debts, and threats from a Moldovan family connected to the case. Juana learned from Francisco’s friends that he had been involved in buying and selling properties and controlling vacant lots, with debts piling up and mysterious individuals pressing him aggressively.
“From his circle I learned the latest,” Juana said at the police station. They had escorted Francisco to a house to collect a loan. The officer filled in names and addresses, noting that Francisco’s father and the people involved argued and threatened him, warning that a dangerous family would end his life. The investigation shifted dramatically, underscoring that Francisco did not leave of his own free will, as his mother repeats.
The case, which had been dismissed, was revisited. The dismissal order had claimed insufficient evidence of a crime. On April 13, it was ruled that the disappearance was not forced. The family, with SOS Desaparecidos advocate Juan Manuel Medina, filed an appeal, and the Prosecutor’s Office supported the appeal. By Friday of the following week, the same court reopened the case and directed initial investigative steps.
“Irrespective of his phone location or recent calls, the threats lingered,” Juana lamented. “How does justice work if a case is closed so quickly?” she asked. Three months have passed without seeing justice close in on Francisco’s whereabouts.
“Three months have passed; my only fear is that it will be harder to find my son.”
Francisco’s mother described the day he left: he took his keys and phone, telling a friend he would be right back. “We know he moved through complex environments,” she added, noting the Moldovan family who had last seen him alive and whom the investigation sought to question further, as they had been involved in disputes with Francisco.
The case hasMbeen held at arm’s length at times. The family, with Medina again at the helm, pressed for a thorough reexamination of the evidence and a broader inquiry into the possible involvement of all parties around Francisco, especially those who had argued with him in the days leading up to his disappearance. The aim was to gather new statements and verify the last known interactions, particularly with the Moldovan family identified as key figures in the events surrounding Francisco’s last known contact.
“The inquiry was forced to restart from scratch,” said Medina. The family demanded that the case be reopened by appeal and that investigators probe every angle to locate Francisco or confirm his fate. Time continues to press. Juana spoke softly of the ongoing ordeal, hoping for clarity and closure. The hope remains that the investigation will illuminate the path to Francisco, the young man who left home that Monday afternoon and never returned.
Time presses on, testing the family and the investigators alike. The clock runs against them as they seek the truth. Juana insists on accountability, asking the authorities to dig into every lead, especially the Moldovan family identified as the last known witnesses to Francisco being alive, and to record their statements given their proximity to the day he disappeared. The search endures, and the family remains steadfast in their pursuit of answers.
Photos from Francisco’s family album show a life paused in time, a mother and her son sharing moments that now underscore the gravity of the unresolved questions surrounding his absence. The case continues to evolve as new steps are taken, and the next chapter will reveal whether Francisco’s trail leads to an ending or a new beginning for those who love him. The pursuit of truth remains unyielding, and the family’s resolve stands as a testament to hope in the face of uncertainty.
[Citations: Caso Abierto portal and related police records provide the timeline and context for this ongoing investigation.]