Virtudes Manuela Valiente, mother of Manuela Chavero, could not hold back tears on Monday after giving statements at the trial for her daughter’s death. The proceedings are being held at the Provincial Court in Badajoz, where Eugenio D. stands as the sole accused. Her sobs filled the courtroom and moved everyone who heard them. “My life feels incomplete without her”, she said, explaining that she has spent three years mostly confined to her home and expressing sorrow that her husband Emilio did not live to see justice for their daughter. She relies on tranquilizers, anxiolytics, and chamomile tea to sleep. “I am not well, and with each passing day it gets worse”, she added.
Also affected were the siblings of Manuela Chavero, for whom the disappearance altered life as they knew it. Emilia, the most vocal in seeking answers from the outset, spoke about her unwavering commitment to the search and the support she received, which helped her keep going for her nephew Adrián, Manuela’s son, who is now 14 and was 14 at the time of his aunt’s disappearance. Emilia promised to focus on her studies while she made sure her mother could be located. The younger siblings share a similar age to Adrián, and all three have testified to the emotional toll of the case.
“I had to find her, but I was also afraid that the person who took her would come after me,” Emilia recalled, describing her fears in the search and the tense moments that accompanied it.
“I knew she had been taken; she hadn’t left of her own accord,” Emilia added, emphasizing her conviction that Manuela was not simply gone. The path to suspect Eugenio D. involved inquiries to his home, where Emilia looked for a friend believed to be connected to the case. She said, “He deceived my sister and he deceived me.”
Her fear extended to the possibility of further harm, with Emilia describing the nightmare of Manuela’s absence and pondering what her sister would have thought as she faced an uncertain future at home and with her children. “What would my sister think in that house with no way out? What about her children? About us? We don’t live, we watch life go by”, she lamented.
Other witnesses who spoke included Emilia’s three brothers, José Carlos, María del Carmen, and Francisco José, all of whom described enduring psychological aftereffects from Manuela’s disappearance and described her as a kind, friendly, and trusting person.
“I had a normal life and after this, I am not the same person,” José Carlos Chavero stated, describing the impact on his own life. He was the one who filed the initial report with the Civil Guard after visiting his sister with a friend who had seen her unresponsive to messages and calls, even though they had arranged to meet.
One of the other witnesses in the first session was Manuela’s ex-husband, who for a year was among the investigation targets. When Eugenio D. was arrested, he felt a sense of relief. “I couldn’t set foot in the village; everyone was against me,” he explained, illustrating the pressure he faced during the investigation.
During the testimonies of Manuela Chavero’s relatives, the accused sat behind a divider, as requested, avoiding direct contact with them. At the end of the session, Eugenio D. did not take his seat in the defendant’s box; instead, he remained beside his lawyer for the remainder of the proceedings.
On Tuesday, another 16 witnesses were scheduled to testify, including members of the Civil Guard. The list also includes the leading experts involved in the investigation, with a total of 68 experts expected to present their findings.
The trial will resume at 9:30 a.m.