The daughter of Giovani Rafael Lorenzo Álvarez, a motorcyclist from Trinidad who has been missing for over 40 days, firmly refuted false claims circulating on social media that her father had been found dead.
Lorena Lorenzo Gómez denied the rumor and confirmed that her father's whereabouts, a 54-year-old man, remain unknown.
The erroneous report was initially spread by the Facebook page "NiO Reportando un Crimen," which, in a dramatic journalistic tone, falsely claimed that Giovani's body had been discovered in a well in the Casilda area of Trinidad.
This misinformation was picked up by outlets such as elmiamero.com and cubaherald.org, furthering its reach before the family could counteract it.
Without delay, Lorena issued a strong denial on Facebook: "This information is completely FALSE, my dad is still MISSING," she declared.
"It's astonishing that amidst the family's pain and anxiety, there are still unscrupulous individuals willing to spread such information without verifying its truth. No one considers the desperation of elderly parents, the grief of his daughters, one of whom is just a child."
Giovani Rafael Lorenzo Álvarez vanished on February 28, when he left his home around 8:00 am for routine errands and never came back.
He was last seen riding a violet Missile brand motorcycle, dressed in red shorts and black and red sneakers.
The last recorded sign of life was at 9:23 pm that same day, when his phone was turned off and ceased to emit signals.
Since his disappearance, Cuban authorities have not released any official statement about the case, nor have they provided any leads on his whereabouts.
In the absence of institutional support, the family has taken the search into their own hands, utilizing social media as their sole tool.
On March 3, just days after Giovani went missing, Lorena made a public plea on Facebook: "We are desperate, we beg you to help us find him," she wrote, accompanied by photos of her father and contact numbers 58255999 and 55227727.
By March 20, with Giovani missing for three weeks, user Guillermo Rodríguez Sánchez encapsulated the family's despair with the phrase: "It's as if the earth swallowed him whole."
This case highlights a recurring issue in Cuba: the complete lack of effective official mechanisms for searching for missing persons forces families to become their own investigators and spokespersons, while the institutional information void allows false rumors to flourish, exacerbating the suffering of those already devastated by uncertainty.
Giovani is the father of three daughters—one of whom is a minor—and the son of elderly parents, and he was a well-known and beloved figure in his Trinidad community.
Lorena concluded her refutation with a warning to those who spread the false news: "The weight will fall on the conscience of the person who did it, respect the suffering and desperation of my family."
Key Information on the Disappearance of Giovani Rafael Lorenzo Álvarez
What happened to Giovani Rafael Lorenzo Álvarez?
Giovani Rafael Lorenzo Álvarez disappeared on February 28 after leaving for routine errands and has not been seen since. His whereabouts remain unknown.
How has the family responded to the false information?
Giovani's daughter, Lorena, has strongly refuted the false claims on social media, clarifying that her father is still missing and calling for respect for the family's suffering.
Why is this case significant in Cuba?
The case underscores the lack of effective official mechanisms in Cuba for finding missing persons, compelling families to undertake the search themselves and leaving them vulnerable to harmful misinformation.