The mystery that haunted one Buenos Aires family for more than four decades has taken a heartbreaking turn. Forensic experts have confirmed that the remains found in May on a property next to the house Gustavo Cerati once rented in the early 2000s belong to 16-year-old Diego Fernández Lima, a promising young soccer player who vanished in 1984. Bone injuries suggest he was murdered, per Buenos Aires Herald.
The Argentine Team of Forensic Anthropology (EAAF) announced the news Wednesday after being brought into the investigation by prosecutor Martín López Perrando.
The EAAF, known worldwide for its work identifying victims of Argentina’s dictatorship, Malvinas War soldiers, and modern-day disappearances, confirmed Diego’s identity through genetic, anthropological, and archaeological analysis.
The discovery has shaken not just Diego’s family, but also his old football club, Excursionistas, which revealed he was on their roster when he disappeared. The team shared an emotional 1985 locker room note from the late board member Daniel Viviani, who wrote that the players always remembered Diego before stepping onto the field.
The EAAF’s role is limited to what the bones reveal, but a source told the Herald that they found a stab wound to the ribs and cut marks on his limbs, all inflicted around the time of death. The outlet notes that it's possible his killer tried to dismember him before abandoning the idea, burying him just 60 centimeters deep in a rushed attempt to hide the body.
Cerati lived in the home in 2001 and 2003, which was recently sold and demolished for new construction. It turned into a crime scene when workers unearthed bones and several watches buried beneath the site. Cerati passed away in 2014 at the age of 55.
While it was initially believed to be Cerati's home, it's now known to be the house next door, which has belonged to the Graf family since 1970. Prosecutor López Perrando is now investigating Norberto Cristian Graf, 56, a classmate and friend of Diego’s who allegedly lived there at the time. But even if someone is identified, Argentina’s statute of limitations means the crime can no longer be punished. A witness in Europe contacted authorities to share his suspicions after learning about the discovery. According to Infobae, Noberto voluntarily went to the court on Monday and responded, "no" when a journalist approached him at his home.
Diego's disappearance
Diego was last seen on July 26, 1984, leaving home with a mandarin in hand, telling his mom he’d stop by a friend’s house before school. His younger brother, Javier, told América news that the family never knew who this friend was. "He left at two in the afternoon, eating a tangerine. He told my mom, 'I'm going to a friend's house and then to school.' He was studying at an industrial school three blocks away, and he never showed up again, until now," Javier recalled.
At that time, the Fernández family reported Diego's disappearance to the authorities, where they raised suspicions that he had been kidnapped for organ trafficking. "My father insisted that was why he had been kidnapped. He had that idea. I was very young, 10 years old," Javier said.
Juan Benigno Fernández, Diego's father, never gave up on the search for his son, and sadly, in 1991, the family faced another loss when the man had an accident while riding his bicycle along Galván and Congreso streets. " My father died searching for him. He was hit by a truck and died instantly," Javier revealed.
Diego’s remains were finally identified after his nephew saw news coverage mentioning an unidentified teenage boy from the mid-1980s found in Coghlan, details that matched family stories. His mother’s DNA was a perfect match.