The family of Paloma Gallardo paid tribute to the teenager at the Municipal Cemetery of Florencio Varela on the day she would have turned 17. With deep sorrow, they expressed their lament: "We would have liked to give her the flowers and not place them on her grave." Omar Gallardo, Paloma's father, shared his pain with the Noticias Argentinas agency, remembering his daughter with love and unfulfilled hopes: "I remember her as a daughter I always wanted. I wished for her to be a great woman, to work as a professional in biotechnology, which was what she liked. She deserved everything in her life."
The young woman's father also lamented that the perpetrators robbed them of the opportunity to see Paloma turn 18 and experience her first moments as an adult: "The murderers cut everything short for us." Amid the pain and indignation, he expressed dismay at the impunity surrounding the case: "We want the suspects to be arrested, to have a proper trial, and for nothing to go unpunished."
Alicia Pita, Paloma's mother, shared the family's grief by stating: "My heart is shattered." She also called for justice for her daughter and for Josué, the other victim of the crime: "I hope the truth of all this comes to light." In the midst of sadness, she recalled that what should have been a day of celebration turned into a date of profound sorrow due to Paloma's absence.
The double murder of Paloma and Josué shocked the community. The young people disappeared on February 27 while on their way to the gym, and two days later they were found lifeless in an open field. The forensic report revealed that Paloma passed away due to a "brain injury" resulting from a "skull fracture" and "severe cranioencephalic trauma," while Josué died from a "cerebral hemorrhage" accompanied by a "skull fracture" and "severe cranioencephalic trauma." The bodies of both young people were found in an open field in the town of Bosques, near a railway bridge, adding chapters of pain and uncertainty to this tragic story.
