Maciel's Version of the Disappearance
Walter Maciel, the former commissioner of 9 de Julio accused as a necessary participant in the concealment of Loan Peña, testified on Thursday before the Federal Oral Court of Corrientes. He said the boy was struck by a vehicle and that his body was then lifted from the scene and hidden. He identified Carlos Pérez, María Victoria Caillava and Laudelina Peña as the direct responsables. The hearing was shortened and two testimonies that had been scheduled were postponed.[S1][S2][S4]
Maciel said he had no doubts about what happened and described the evidence as conclusive. He rejected the accusation against him, saying he had been charged with something he did not do. He also said that although he is detained, he continues to investigate the case, and he asked the boy's mother for forgiveness because he had promised to bring her son back.[S1][S2][S3][S4]
According to his account, on 13 June 2024 he arrived at the police station, reviewed the guard and route books, organized a custody operation for a procession in the town and then left for a social event for the feast of San Antonio de Padua. He said he later returned home and was informed by an officer surnamed Torres that a child had disappeared. He then went to the scene and spoke with those present, including Catalina, Loan's grandmother, and the boy's parents.[S1][S2][S4][S5]
Questions About the First Hours of the Search
Maciel said he was told that Loan had gone to the orange grove and returned alone. He also recalled asking Carlos Pérez whether he had seen anything; according to his testimony, Pérez said he had not and mentioned only a sheep that tried to attack him. Maciel said he took that account into consideration because he believed Pérez had force training as a former Navy sailor.[S1][S3][S5]
As the hours passed, Maciel said he grew worried. He stated that at 5:30 p.m. he informed the prosecutor and that when it began to get dark he requested reinforcements from 32 police units, including personnel from Corrientes capital and other cities. The prosecution has pointed to alleged irregularities in the early search, including a delay in starting the operation, an alleged change of information in the guard book, the withdrawal of search teams after a false alarm and the handling of the scene where one of the boy's shoes appeared.[S1][S2][S5]
Confrontation With Laudelina Peña
Maciel said he suspected Laudelina Peña from 13 June and that he repeatedly requested her detention. He questioned changes in her statements and addressed her directly during the hearing, asking why she changed her account if she had been forceful in her complaint at the prosecutor's office. He also accused her of having diverted the search and of having taken part in placing the boy's boot along with Pérez and Caillava, which he said was intended to mislead the investigation.[S1][S3][S5]
Laudelina Peña had testified earlier in the trial and cried while asking forgiveness for false versions she had given, saying it had not been her intention and distancing herself from other maneuvers while implicating Maciel. She said she had nothing to do with the accident or the boot. In her account, she arrived at her mother's house around 8:15 a.m. on 13 June, helped clean, prepared the fire and the food, and after lunch went toward the woods with several of the children around 2 p.m. after Mónica Millapi asked if she wanted to join them.[S1][S4]
