Murals help search for missing kids
BUENOS AIRES — Daiana Garnica’s sparkling eyes catch the attention of many passersby in Argentina’s capital, where her face is painted on a wall in a plea for help to find the teenager who disappeared one year ago.
Garnica’s image is one of five paintings of missing young people put on walls across Buenos Aires in a bid to raise awareness about their disappearances.
The initiative, which is led by the private group Missing Children Argentina under the #PardesQueBuscan, or #WallsThatSearch, slogan, is supported by a growing number of urban artists who hope their work helps the search become more visible.
“I wanted to communicate the gaze, which is the strongest, so that the image has an impact,” said artist Sebastian Richeri. “So you stop and stare at it, instead of looking at it like just another face.”
Garnica, who went missing at age 17, was last seen on May 6, 2017, when she went out shopping with Dario Suarez, a neighbor in her small community in the northern Argentine province of Tucuman. Suarez is the only person arrested in the case so far. He is accused of playing a role in her disappearance. Authorities have offered a reward of about $6,000 for information leading to Garnica’s whereabouts.
Daiana’s sister, Sonia Garnica, suspects that her sister, a cheerful teenager who was close to her family, was delivered to a prostitution ring. But she remains hopeful.
“I think this (mural project) that spreads her image is going to help speak to the public conscience, and reinforce the fact that there’s a family waiting for her,” she said.
The national registry of missing minors says 1,154 are still missing out of the 2,571 cases reported last year nationwide. Most are between the ages of 13 and 17, and girls predominate among the missing.