Eight Babies' Remains Found in Waste Bags as Rape Evidence Destroyed
Police investigating the rape of a 12-year-old girl found eight fetal remains discarded in waste bags at a Buenos Aires abortion clinic, including dismembered and fully formed bodies, potentially destroying the only DNA evidence capable of identifying her attackers.
Police investigating the rape of a 12-year-old girl found eight fetal remains discarded in waste bags at a Buenos Aires clinic. Two of the remains showed signs of dismemberment. Five were described as fully formed at advanced gestation. The discovery may have destroyed the only DNA evidence that could identify the girl's attackers.
Both suspects remain at large. Prosecutors say the fetal remains from the girl's pregnancy were the sole genetic material capable of placing them at the scene. One suspect is a family member. International capture orders have been issued for both.
"We identified two people accused of the act," Prosecutor Santiago Bridoux told TN. "One of the fugitives is a family member."
Police from the Dirección de Investigaciones de Trata de Personas raided Clínica Santa María in Villa Ballester on April 24 after receiving an alert from Santiago del Estero authorities. The clinic director initially denied the girl and her mother were on the premises. When investigators returned with a search warrant, both had already left at approximately 3 p.m. Officers then found the eight fetal remains in waste bags in a storage depot at the rear of the clinic.
The abortion was performed by Dr. Damián Levy. He also serves as president and director of Fundación CIGESAR, the pro-abortion NGO that paid for the girl and her mother to travel nearly 1,000 kilometers from Monte Quemado, Santiago del Estero. The conflict of interest is direct: the same organization that arranged and funded the transport also performed the procedure.
Levy confirmed he operated on the girl, who was approximately 32 weeks pregnant. "I have the firm conviction of having done the right thing within the framework of the applicable law," he told TN.
Human trafficking suspicions emerged after the girl's mother, a 48-year-old pensioner who cannot read or write, said she did not know what had happened to the baby or whether the child was alive or dead. Federal Judge Juan Manuel Culotta opened a human trafficking investigation. CIGESAR typically schedules multiple procedures per session. The clinic has no obstetrics service according to its own statements, and third-party listings show the facility is formally specialized in traumatology.
The Buenos Aires provincial health ministry inspected the clinic on April 27 and declared it had "everything in order." Inspectors noted minor infractions with a deadline for correction. Nothing warranted closure.
Three separate judicial jurisdictions are now investigating. Santiago del Estero prosecutor Bridoux leads the sexual abuse case and the hunt for the two fugitive suspects. Federal Justice in Tres de Febrero is examining potential human trafficking and CIGESAR's role. Provincial Justice in San Martín is investigating the fetal remains and whether procedures were conducted legally.
On April 27, CIGESAR posted a statement on the clinic door claiming that judicial authorities had intervened to preserve genetic material for the investigation. The clinic posted its own separate statement distancing itself from CIGESAR, saying it only rented infrastructure to the foundation and does not operate an obstetrics service.
A 12-year-old girl was raped. The NGO that transported her across the country also performed the abortion. The men who assaulted her may never be identified and the evidence needed to catch her rapists vanished into waste bags.