Loan Peña disappearance trial intensifies as parents testify in Corrientes

In the third week of the federal oral trial in Corrientes, Argentina, the parents of missing five‑year‑old Loan Danilo Peña gave emotional testimony. Father José Peña recounted that his sister Laudelina Peña had told the family the day after the 13 June 2024 disappearance that it was an “accident,” and urged anyone with information to speak. Mother María Noguera confronted her sister‑in‑law Laudelina and ex‑Naval captain Carlos Pérez, demanding they reveal the boy’s whereabouts. During the exchange she suffered a medical compensation and required assistance inside the courtroom.

The trial involves 17 accused, including Laudelina Peña, her husband Antonio Benítez, former police commissioner Walter Maciel, municipal official María Victoria Caillava, Carlos Pérez, and others, charged with the alleged kidnapping and concealment of Loan. Prosecutors had asked the judges to separate the accused from the witnesses and to install a privacy screen, but the court rejected those measures, allowing the parents to testify face‑to‑face with the defendants. The proceedings continue to be a focal point of national attention in Argentina.