Argentine 5‑year‑old girl found in Venezuela after three‑year search
A five‑year‑old Argentine girl, identified as Mía Guadalupe Salteño Altamirano, was located in the city of Barinas, Venezuela, together with her mother, after being missing since August 2023. The father filed a disappearance report in Santa Fe on 25 August 2023, prompting a federal investigation that was transferred to the federal court in September 2024.
The case is being pursued as alleged kidnapping, retention and concealment of a minor. Argentine prosecutors allege the mother took the child abroad without the father's consent. The investigation is coordinated by the Santa Fe Fiscal Unit, Interpol and Venezuelan authorities, including the Seventh Prosecutor’s Office of the Venezuelan Public Ministry. A tip from an informant was verified by Interpol, leading to a joint Buenos Aires‑Caracas operation that confirmed the location.
Argentina’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the public prosecutor’s office are working with Venezuelan officials on an international restitution process, while the Fiscal Unit has requested an Interpol Blue Notice on the mother to confirm her residence and possible identities. Both the criminal case and the restitution proceedings continue in parallel.
Entities: Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs · Barinas · Barinas, Venezuela · F. A. S. · Interpol · M. G. S. A. · Mía Guadalupe Salteño Altamirano · Santa Fe Province (Argentina) · Unidad Fiscal Santa Fe
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 9 SOURCES] The mother is suspected of abducting the child without the father's consent, constituting kidnapping, retention and concealment of a minor. (prosecutors)
- [● 10 SOURCES] The girl and her mother were located in Barinas, Venezuela, in 2024. (authorities)
- [● 9 SOURCES] A five‑year‑old Argentine girl named Mía Guadalupe Salteño Altamirano disappeared in August 2023 in Santa Fe, Argentina. (father's report)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The girl's father filed a disappearance report in Santa Fe on 25 August 2023. (police record)
- [● 6 SOURCES] The Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs is working with the judiciary to achieve international restitution of the child to Argentina. (government statement)
- [● 7 SOURCES] Argentine authorities, the Santa Fe Fiscal Unit, coordinated with INTERPOL and Venezuelan authorities to locate the girl. (fiscal unit)
- [● 7 SOURCES] Argentine authorities requested an Interpol Blue Notice for the mother to verify her identity and residence. (fiscal unit)
- [● 5 SOURCES] The case was transferred to federal jurisdiction in September 2024. (court record)