Buenos Aires, Feb 5 (NA) – The investigation into the disappearance of Fernando José Rodríguez, which occurred in May 2025 in Salta, has advanced after authorities confirmed that the skeletal remains found earlier in the search area belong to the 29-year-old young man. Penal Prosecutor 2 of the Unit for Grave Attacks Against Persons, Gabriel González, confirmed in recent hours that the analysis by the Forensic Molecular Biology Department of the CIF on the skeletal remains found at the end of December and a pair of shoes belong to Rodríguez, who disappeared on May 9 last year during the patronal festivals of the Virgin of Luján. Since that day, numerous search and investigation tasks have been carried out, including inspections at the scene, witness statements, and the deployment of specialized resources. For this reason, between June 17 and 18, personnel from the UGAP Investigation Unit and the prosecutor's office coordinated specific tasks in an area of complex and difficult-to-access geography, as learned from the Argentine News Agency. In that place on December 22 and in the following days, 'skeletal remains and a pair of shoes were found,' so the authorities ordered their preservation and custody, as well as the extraction of genetic material from the missing man's sisters. The Forensic Molecular Biology Department of the CIF was in charge of the examinations of the remains, and personnel confirmed that one of the seized items 'is compatible with the samples of one of the sisters, establishing scientifically a probability of correspondence greater than 99.99%, which allows attributing them with high reliability to Fernando José Rodríguez'. The Provincial Public Prosecutor's Office indicated that the investigation continues with the identification of the remaining findings and the carrying out of all necessary diligence to clarify the fact. Numerous specialized groups participated in the search tasks, including the use of trained dogs for person tracking and human remains search, drones, and field patrols carried out by personnel from the Provincial Police, including Infantry, Fire Division, GORA, Canine Division, GOPAR, and the Department of Planning and Operational Coordination, with additional support from teams from the province of Tucumán.
