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Original article: Caso Tanya Aciares: audiencia buscará esclarecer errores en investigación que mantuvo restos sin identificar durante seis años

Tanya Aciares Case: Court Denies Defense Motion, Moving Toward Hearing to Clarify Investigation Errors

The court has rejected the statute of limitations request made by the defense in the obstruction case related to Tanya Aciares. This decision allows the upcoming hearing where police officials and the prosecutor who investigated the disappearance will testify.

The court dismissed the defense’s statute of limitations plea in the obstruction investigation involving Tanya Aciares, a teenager who went missing in Copiapó in 2018, with her remains only identified in 2024. As a result, the hearing is set to proceed on July 13.

On Monday, June 8, the Copiapó Guarantee Court decided to not grant the motion for a definitive dismissal requested by the defense of two women being investigated for their possible involvement in obstructing the investigation related to Tanya Aciares’ case.

During the hearing, the defense argued that the criminal action was time-barred given the elapsed time since both defendants provided statements to the Public Ministry. 

However, the prosecution opposed this interpretation, arguing that the case is still within the statutory time limits, meaning that the legal action should not be extinguished. 

According to Copiapó’s Deputy Prosecutor, Guillermo Zárate, the statements made by the accused led to various investigative steps ordered by the PDI, which ended up diverting the investigation because those details turned out to be false.

With the court’s decision, the case will continue and advance to a simplified oral trial hearing scheduled for July 13.

Regarding one of the accused, Zárate noted that there is a ruling from the Court of Appeals establishing that the investigated act occurred when she was already of legal age, a stance maintained by the Public Ministry throughout the case.

The plaintiff’s side also participated in the hearing, supporting the prosecutor’s position and requesting the dismissal of the defense’s motion.

Tanya Aciares’ family lawyer, Camila Morales Sepúlveda, praised the court’s ruling and explained that, according to the court, any potential obstruction to the investigation should be analyzed in the complete context of the case and not solely based on when the questioned statements were given.

She indicated that to determine if the statute of limitations applies, it is essential to consider the content of those testimonies, the impact they had on the investigative proceedings, and when the crime may have occurred. In that regard, she stated that the ruling is a positive step for the family, as it allows the judicial process to continue and reach the hearing set for July 13. 

The Hearing That Could Clarify Errors in Tanya’s Search

One of the family’s main hopes rests on the hearing set for July 13, when prosecutor Cristian González will testify as a witness. He was in charge of both the investigation into Tanya Aciares’ disappearance and the discovery of human remains in 2018, which were only identified as belonging to the teenager in 2024. Alongside him, 25 police officials tied to the case will also be called to testify.

According to the family’s representative, this is a significant milestone because it will be the first time the family can hear in court explanations regarding the actions taken during the search and the reasons behind potential investigative errors.

“The family, along with society, will be able to hear the reasons behind these investigative errors. We have never ruled out state responsibilities, proven by the expansion of the lawsuit. We also do not claim that individuals bear no responsibility; we believe there may be both, but we lacked certainty as we did not have access to the information,” she stated.

Concerns About Institutional Performance

The family’s attorney, Camila Morales, explained that Tanya’s case unfolded amid a context of disappearances and murders of women in Copiapó between 2018 and 2020. She noted that for six years, the Public Ministry publicly maintained that the teenager was alive and residing in another commune, only acknowledging in 2024 that the remains of the young girl had been found in 2018 by the same police brigade investigating her disappearance.

Morales explained that after taking on the family’s representation in 2025, they expanded the lawsuit to include potential responsibilities of public officials and other possible crimes related to the administration of justice. She also asserted that, for months, they requested access to evidence and investigative steps, even appealing to the National Prosecutor’s Office, without receiving favorable responses.

The lawyer added that only this year did the family manage to be recognized as participants in the obstruction case, gaining access to information previously unknown to them. She recalled that the trial originally scheduled for April had to be postponed due to the absence of police officials and the prosecutor summoned to testify, eventually rescheduled for July 13.

“We Never Dismissed State Responsibilities”

In an interview with El Ciudadano, Morales praised the court’s decision, as she believes it will allow the hearing set for the 13th of next month to take place, which Tanya Aciares’ family considers crucial for clarifying what occurred during the investigation. 

The lawyer explained that while the Public Ministry has attributed the diversion of investigative actions to statements from individuals claiming Tanya was alive, the family has never dismissed possible institutional responsibilities and for years has demanded that these be investigated.

Moreover, she asserted that both the Prosecutor’s Office and the PDI have so far denied potential responsibilities on the part of their officials, a situation that generates questions considering the teenager’s remains went unidentified for years. 

In that context, she expressed hope that the trial will allow for a reconstruction of the chain of decisions made during the investigation and to determine if there were any errors or responsibilities on the part of state agencies. 

“We have never dismissed state responsibilities and we have also requested them administratively from the Prosecutor’s Office. We have asked the Prosecutor’s Office to request them from the police, and in response, we have always been told that there is no state responsibility, meaning no responsibility from the Public Ministry. In the case of the police, […] we also requested that responsibilities within the PDI be investigated, but the response we received is that, due to the time elapsed, these responsibilities could not be investigated.”

A Case Marked by Women’s Disappearances in Atacama

Alejandra Carrasco, spokesperson for the Network of Feminist Women in Atacama, explained that their organization has supported Tanya’s family from the moment of her disappearance to the present day.

Carrasco stated that their group demands that state agents, who have failed to appear to testify despite proper notification, do so: “As civil society, as feminist women, and as families, we demand to know why they have been unable to find Tanya, why they have operated irregularly in handling this case, and why negligence has prevailed.”

For Carrasco, it is essential to remember that Aciares’ disappearance is part of a broader context of disappearances and extreme violence in the region, noting that Tanya’s case is not isolated, as there are various cases of disappearances that remain unanswered, such as those of Thiare Elgueda and Catalina Álvarez.

The spokesperson emphasized the need to highlight the “injustice” that exists both in the region and across the country. She also indicated that the community should remain vigilant regarding these cases, asserting that Atacama is an “incredibly violent” region. 

“Justice must respond. I believe that these public officials, particularly the prosecutor in charge at the time, Cristian González, must explain to the family what happened with Tanya, why these negligences occurred, and why impunity continues to prevail today. There are still no answers regarding the fate of our sisters,” she concluded. 

Finally, for Tanya Aciares’ family, the upcoming hearing on July 13 represents an opportunity to understand the decisions made during the investigation and clarify potential responsibilities in a case that remained unanswered for years, despite the fact that the teenager’s remains were found in 2018 and only identified in 2024.

El Ciudadano.

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