Nearly four decades ago, a young woman and her thirteen-month-old daughter vanished without a trace in the small village of Matadeón de los Oteros, León province. Despite extensive searches at the time, no clues were found and the case was gradually shelved. However, in 2025, the investigation took a new turn: a court in Gijón ordered the case reopened after two cars were discovered in a flooded mine at the site of a former fluorite mine in Berbés.
The family lived in León, but the mother was originally from Asturias. Shortly before her disappearance, the woman had gone to the police to report domestic violence. After that, she and her little girl disappeared, sparking speculation among local residents. Some believed her husband could have disposed of evidence by dumping the cars in a ravine. These rumors remained unconfirmed for years, until a new search began.
During recent work, police officers found two cars submerged in silt at the bottom of an artificial reservoir formed on the site of the old mine. The area was difficult to access: over the decades, it had become heavily overgrown and nearly impassable. Nevertheless, technology made it possible to detect the cars’ presence, providing a key reason to reopen the case.
A long road of investigation
Over the years, investigators have repeatedly returned to this case. In 2016, searches were conducted at the family’s home in León, and two years later — at the mine site in Berbes. At that time, the search yielded no results, and the investigation was suspended again. However, with new evidence now emerging, there is renewed hope of shedding light on this long-standing tragedy.
Police note that throughout all these years, efforts to uncover the truth never stopped. New developments have revealed an alternative version of events, which is now being thoroughly investigated. In the near future, the recovered vehicles are set to be brought to the surface to determine their connection to the disappearance of the mother and child.
New hope for the family
For the relatives of the missing, the reopening of the investigation came as an unexpected development. After decades of uncertainty, they now have hope of finally learning what happened that fateful year. Investigators promise to use all modern methods to reconstruct the events and perhaps, at last, to provide answers to the questions that have tormented the family for nearly forty years.
The story of the disappearance of the woman and her daughter is once again drawing national attention in Spain. It is expected that further actions by police and experts will help shed light on one of the region’s most mysterious tragedies.
