Ángel Hung Ramos, an elderly man who had been missing for ten days, was discovered deceased in Manzanillo, a tragic event that has deeply affected his family.
His daughter took to social media to share the heartbreaking news. Hung, who lived in Santiago de Cuba and suffered from senile dementia, vanished in Manzanillo on the afternoon of November 26. The family launched a search, which sadly ended in tragedy.
Identified on Facebook as Einna Eiram Gnuh Zelaznog, Hung's daughter announced in a post that on Friday, December 5, he was found dead, "in very bad condition."
"Today is an incredibly sad day for me because I couldn't say goodbye to my grumpy old man or stroke his gray hair," she expressed in her poignant message. Despite the sorrow, she found solace in knowing she had done everything possible to ensure a better life for him in his old age and in never giving up on him once he went missing.
"May God hold you in glory, my father. Rest in peace, I will always love you," she stated.
She thanked the people of Manzanillo who supported her search efforts and urged those with family members suffering from dementia to never let their guard down.
"I urge everyone who has a family member with dementia to understand there's never enough care because the slightest oversight can lead to tragedy," she warned. "Please, take care of your family and seek help, as one person alone isn't enough, and be mindful of your words and actions, as even those with dementia have moments of clarity and no one knows what they are thinking."
Since Hung's disappearance, his daughter had started a campaign on Facebook, posting daily messages asking for assistance to find him, concerned about his health condition, as he also suffered from hypertension and hypoglycemia.
The day after losing contact with his family, the elderly man was reportedly seen in the Guasimal area, where he "went deep into the bush," according to witnesses. He was spotted again days later in another part of Manzanillo, but after that sighting, no further information was available. Desperate, the family urged anyone who saw him to contact them or take him directly to the police or a hospital.
Regrettably, despite the efforts of his family and others, Hung was found deceased.
In Cuba, there are no official protocols for searching for missing persons. Due to a lack of state channels and the authorities' inaction, Cuban families turn to social media to seek community assistance in locating their loved ones.
The non-governmental organization Cubalex recently highlighted that disappearances in Cuba "reveal a structural problem that the State continues to deny."
According to the NGO, there are currently 22 active alerts of disappearances, reflecting a recurring pattern: "families searching without state support, individuals disappearing at sea or on migration routes without being registered, women and girls treated with bias and without real support, and a legal void that allows disappearance to operate as a policy of neglect."
Understanding the Crisis of Missing Persons in Cuba
What challenges do families in Cuba face when searching for missing relatives?
Families in Cuba face significant challenges due to the lack of official search protocols and state support, forcing them to rely on social media and community assistance to locate missing loved ones.
How has the Cuban government responded to the issue of disappearances?
The Cuban government has been criticized for denying the structural issues that lead to disappearances, with no official measures in place to address or prevent such cases effectively.
What role does social media play in locating missing persons in Cuba?
Social media serves as a crucial tool for Cuban families, enabling them to spread awareness and seek help from the community in the absence of formal search mechanisms.