Enforced disappearance in Chaco, Argentina
On 2 June 2023, Cecilia Marlene Strzyzowski, a 28-year-old Argentine woman, went missing in Resistencia, Chaco. She was allegedly murdered in an act of femicide. Among the main suspects and defendants are her partner, César Sena, along with his parents Emerenciano Sena and Marcela Acuña who were candidates in the 2023 provincial elections in Chaco Province. Sena and Acuña make up the "Sena Clan", a family of social leaders who have great local political influence as well as strong ties with the Government of Chaco Province, including then-current governor Jorge Capitanich. This case has attracted attention at the provincial and national level and has been reported in the main international media and by Amnesty International.
In addition to Sena, Gustavo Obregón and Fabiana Gonzáles, political leaders close to Acuña, have also been charged; as well as Gustavo Melgarejo, the Senas' landlord, along with his partner Graciela Reynoso. Currently, the seven suspects and defendants are detained and have a request for preventive detention. The investigation is currently under the supervision of prosecutors Jorge Cáceres Olivera, Jorge Fernando Gómez and Nelia Vázquez of the Special Prosecutor's Office for Gender Violence No. 4 of the Public Prosecutor's Office.
Summary.
The report for the disappearance of Cecilia Strzyzowski was filed on Tuesday, 6 June, by Gloria Romero, the young woman's mother, after receiving anonymous information suggesting that something had happened to her daughter. From that moment on, the corresponding protocol for the search for missing people was activated and an investigation was initiated by the Prosecutor's Office. According to the security cameras, on 2 June, Cecilia was observed entering the Sena residence, with no record of her leaving, being the last signal from her mobile phone at that location. Subsequently, Obregón could be seen in the recordings leaving the home with black bags, which it is presumed could contain the young woman's body. Emerenciano and Acuña got into the vehicle and left the house. The Prosecutor's Team carried out various raids and searches, including the Sena property, where bone and blood remains belonging to Cecilia were found. In one of the testimonies, Melgarejo claimed to have seen the young woman tied and gagged in Emerenciano's truck, and later murdered. In addition, a search was carried out in the Tragadero River, near the Sena home, where crushed human bones and a pendant were found that was recognized by Gloria Romero as belonging to her daughter. All these indications point to the hypothesis of femicide; According to prosecutors, Strzyzowski was murdered on 2 June between 12:13 and 1:01 p.m. in the Sena house by César Sena and his parents. Then, Gustavo Obregón and Fabiana González helped the traces disappear, and at 7:00 p.m.: 27 César Sena and Obregón carried the body to take it to Campo Rossi where it was dismembered and cremated and finally its remains were thrown into the Tragadero River.
For their part, the defense of César Sena, Gustavo Obregón, Fabiana González, Griselda Reinoso and Gustavo Melgarejo presented a request to appeal the arrest warrant and the prosecutors' indictment, asking that the case be categorized as "forced disappearance", arguing that "it is not proven that Cecilia died" since her body was not found.
In relation to the case, an investigation has been initiated for laundering and evasion of financial assets to the Sena family. During one of the raids, $6,058,190 Argentine pesos were found in César Sena's home without justification. According to the report of the Federal Prosecutor's Office of Chaco, Emerenciano and Acuña perform functions in two organizations: the "Doctor Saul Acuña Foundation" and the "Emerenciano Sena Foundation", as well as in the "Emerenciano Labor Cooperative Limited". Regarding their political influence, the Sena maintain close ties with the government of Chaco, which is reflected in the execution of public works, the management of social plans and the deliveries of housing. In addition, it has been revealed that the Sena family has received a transfer from the provincial government for an amount greater than $141 million pesos, even after Cecilia's disappearance was made public.
The case took place near the time of the 2023 Argentine provincial elections. In these elections, Emerenciano Sena, Gustavo Obregón, Marcela Acuña and Fabiana Gonzáles made up the list of the Unique Socialist Party (PSU) within the official list of the Frente de Todos. Emerciano and Gustavo were going to be pre-candidates for deputies, with Marcela Acuña for mayor and Fabian Gonzales for Resistencia councilor. However, due to the scandal related to the disappearance and social repudiation, the Chaqueño Front decided to cancel the PSU's applications.
On June 18, the provincial elections were held. The media agreed that the murder case influenced the results, which resulted in a victory for the opposition to the government.
Background.
Cecilia Strzyzowski.
Strzyzowski was born on 3 August 1994. She was an administrative employee at a health center and the owner of a cafeteria. She lived in her aunt's house with her partner, 19-year-old César Sena. According to the testimony of Gloria Romero, Strzyzowski's mother and the complainant in the case of her disappearance, the relationship between the two began in December 2021 through the dating app Tinder. However, problems arose in the relationship, especially due to César's mother's resistance toward her relationship. In addition, possible coercive control by César over Cecilia's movements through WhatsApp and the possession of weapons by César, who claims to be politically persecuted, have been mentioned.
On September 16, 2022, Cecilia and César married, but four days later they began divorce proceedings, allegedly influenced by César's mother, who did not support the relationship. The young couple handed out invitation cards for a wedding party to be held on December 23, though the divorce decree came out two days before and the celebration was postponed indefinitely. Cecilia's mother was unaware of this divorce at the time of her disappearance. Cecilia and Cesar continued their relationship, however, and were seen together regularly. Cecilia's mother stated that for her, César was an excellent partner, and expressed surprise at the version she learned from a friend of Cecilia, who alleged that on May 3, 2023, César had physically attacked Cecilia. According to this same statement, César Sena was medicated and hit his mother on one occasion. Cecilia's psychologist — who last treated her two days before her disappearance — corroborated the versions of gender violence and that he took psychotropic drugs.
The Sena family.
César Sena is the son of Emericano Sena and Marcela Acuña, a family with an outstanding career in the social and political sphere, being leaders who maintain close ties with the government of Chaco Province, which is reflected in the execution of public works, the management of plans social services and housing deliveries through organizations such as "Fundación Doctor Saul Acuña", "Fundación Emerciano Sena" and the "Cooperativa de Trabajo Emerenciano Limitada". In 2023, they received a transfer of 141 million Argentine pesos from the provincial government. They also have a high net worth and several properties that are currently under investigation for evasion of financial assets. Among his assets are two pieces of land located in Colonia Benitez, 10 kilometers from the city of Resistencia, whose value amounts to 130 thousand dollars. On one of these plots is the family residence where the murder of Cecilia Strzyzowski is presumed to have occurred.
Emerenciano Sena's active participation as a social leader took place in the '90s when he founded the Movement of Unemployed Workers (MTD) together with leader Ramón "Tito" López. Later, after the breakup of the MTD, Emericano partnered with Sergio Schoklender and Hebe de Bonafini, owner of the Sueños Compartidos cooperative, to build homes on occupied land. However, due to judicial and financial problems, the project failed. In 2020, the national government decided to transfer those same lands to the government of Chaco, who subsequently transferred them to Emerenciano. In 2009, the Saúl Andrés Acuña Foundation was created to carry out the projects of Emerenciano and Marcela Acuña.
In the 2023 Argentine provincial elections in Chaco, Emerenciano Sena, Gustavo Obregón, Marcela Acuña and Fabiana Gonzáles made up the list of the Unique Socialists Party (PSU) within the official list of the Frente de Todos. Emerciano and Gustavo were going to be pre-candidates for deputies, with Marcela Acuña for mayor and Fabian Gonzales for Resistencia city councillor. However, due to the scandal related to the disappearance and social repudiation, the Chaco Front decided to cancel the application to stand.
Details of the disappearance.
On June 1, 2023, Cecilia had a video call with her mother Gloria Romero and told her that she would have a trip to Ushuaia with her partner César Sena. The stated reason was for a job opportunity. The job opportunity as the reason for the trip was confirmed by Cecilia's psychologist. That same afternoon Cecilia was seen leaving her aunt's house in Resistencia with César Sena. At that moment, she was wearing light grey sweatpants, a dark grey jacket, and grey sneakers with pink details. In turn, Sena carried a partially empty red backpack. According to a relative of Cecilia, she was nervous at that moment and when questioned about the lack of luggage, he responded that he would "buy clothes in Buenos Aires". In Resistencia the average temperature in June was 15 °C and in Ushuaia it was 2 °C. According to her mother they should have taken a plane to Buenos Aires from Corrientes to make the trip.
Strzyzowski and Sena left together in a white Toyota Hilux pickup truck. However, the precise details of its whereabouts and the circumstances surrounding its disappearance have not yet been clarified. On June 5, two anonymous people posing as investigative agents approached Cecilia's family and provided information from a neighbour in the Emerenciano neighborhood who suggested that something had happened to her. Despite the family's attempts to communicate with Cecilia by telephone, they only received written messages in response saying that her cell phone had been broken. Upon requesting a voice message, they received old audio, which caused further concern. Later, Cecilia's aunt Mercedes, communicated by messages with César, who stated that she was in Ushuaia with Cecilia, but that he had gone out with her lover. Subsequently, communication was completely broken and no further contact was made.
The next day, a security camera captured Cecilia entering the Sena house at 9:15, but her departure was not recorded. The cell signal on Cecilia's phone was activated for the last time in a field near the Tres Horquetas area near Resistencia.
Investigators were unable to find evidence of the existence of the alleged trip, suspecting that Sena had deceived Cecilia and her mother, Gloria Romero, to commit the crime.
Investigation.
Since 6 June, the day the disappearance was reported, the Prosecutor's Office immediately activated the protocol for searching for people and femicide. In addition, it intervened in the Criminal Intelligence Department (Search for Missing or Missing Persons Division), Complex Investigations Department (Homicide and Capture Division), Complex Investigations Department (Cybercrime Division), Fight Against Human Trafficking Department; Complex Investigations Department; Press Division; Police Agreement; Highway Police Directorate (Verifications Division). Also, requests for corresponding reports from geo-connections, telephone companies, WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook.
On 8 June, the Provincial System of the Ministry of Security and Justice of Chaco together with the Federal Person Search System are working to search for Cecilia. For her part, the secretary of Human Rights and Gender of the province, Silvana Pérez, requested that the investigation be carried out with a gender perspective, sending a notification to the federal Ministry of Women, Genders and Diversity. The Argentine Federal Police, Airport Security Police, Argentine National Gendarmerie and Argentine Naval Prefecture were alerted, so that controls could be carried out at road posts, airports, bus terminals, provincial and international borders, to find the whereabouts. That same day, Cecilia's kidnapped cell phone was requested to be opened and the requested reports were entered into Telecom Personal and Flow.
On 12 Jun,e the Public Prosecutor's Office created a specific prosecutorial team to investigate the disappearance, made up of Jorge Fernando Gómez and Nelia Velázquez.
Femicide investigation.
César Sena was called to testify on 6 June in court. When he arrived, he had scratches on his neck, something that was captured by the cameras of the journalists who were covering the news. The prosecutor maintained that the state of his hands would be compatible with a strangulation manoeuvre toward the victim. After testifying as a witness, the prosecutors detected contradictions in his testimony, which