In September 2024, that long-awaited moment finally arrived. María received a call from a retired Coast Guard officer, Captain Ricardo del Valle, who had quietly carried concerns about the case for years. He asked to meet her at a café overlooking the port.
He arrived with a folder and a hesitant expression. What he revealed was not a definitive explanation, but a new perspective that reshaped everything María believed about that day.
The images didn’t depict harm, nor could they confirm exactly what occurred. They suggested, however, that the father and daughter might have been transferred or assisted by another vessel under unclear circumstances.
María felt both relief and sadness. Relief that there might be more to the story than an abrupt loss. Sadness that these details had never been shared with her.
The retired captain explained that the full images had been held back years earlier due to bureaucratic disputes over access and costs. Only when older satellite archives became public did he finally obtain them.
A Trail of Clues
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