Fran Concepción found the hair on 13 September 2026 while searching paths below El Paso near Montaña de la Breña, about seven months after his son Airam Concepción Afonso disappeared. On 13 November, Airam’s parents announced in El Paso that a private laboratory had found a 99.9% match between the hair and a maternal genetic profile used for comparison.
Mercedes Afonso read the laboratory report at the family’s news conference. It reportedly compared 1,200 DNA nucleotides and found them identical. The analysis used mitochondrial DNA, which identifies a maternal lineage rather than a unique individual. The result is compatible with the hair belonging to Airam or to someone related to him through the maternal line. The parents regard the finding as evidence that Airam was alive when the hair was left, but the genetic result cannot establish when it was deposited.
The family commissioned the analysis privately. ABC reported that they had turned to a private laboratory because official testing protocols would take more than three months. The Guardia Civil had not confirmed to Cadena SER whether the hair had been incorporated into the official investigation, which remains with the Policía Judicial. The result has therefore not become an official evidentiary conclusion.
The reported match does not by itself establish that Airam is alive now or provide a location. Still, Mercedes Afonso and Fran Concepción say they believe their son remains somewhere on La Palma and are continuing their search. The family said the finding has made them search with greater determination.
Airam was 20 when he disappeared on 16 February 2026 during Los Indianos in Santa Cruz de La Palma. Security-camera footage reportedly showed him getting off a bus in the island capital. The last known signal from his mobile phone was reported near Los Cancajos in Breña Baja.
Early searches covered land and sea. A backpack and jeans associated with Airam were found near the coast, but the searches did not establish what happened to him or where he went. His parents have continued to follow reported sightings and indications from search dogs, travelling to locations identified by members of the public.
Fran says he has covered more than 1,000 kilometres in the search. The family has also left small survival kits around the island, pairing basic supplies with family photographs and messages. A separate report on La Palma funding talks covered reconstruction negotiations on the island.
The parents believe Airam may have withdrawn after what they describe as an autistic shutdown or a dissociative episode. They have said he may have moved away to avoid contact with other people and stay in natural or isolated places. They say specialists have advised them and that they know of documented cases abroad involving autistic people in similar situations. This remains the family’s explanation for his disappearance.
They urge anyone who thinks they see him not to approach suddenly, fearing he could be frightened and run. Their advice is to keep him in sight and, if possible, take a photograph before contacting emergency services or the Guardia Civil. The Centro Nacional de Personas Desaparecidas (CNDES) lists an active alert through its official channels.
