Details emerge about the death of a young man found in a river in Santiago de Cuba.

Raciel Mateo Vega, the 18-year-old young man who was found dead in a river this Monday in the San Luis municipality of Santiago de Cuba, allegedly died from a heart attack, although some doubt the version provided by Criminalistics, as reported by Yosmany Mayeta this Wednesday.

The source indicated that, after the report of the young man's disappearance on Sunday, the family began searching for him in the vicinity of the Río Grande, but it was not until Monday morning that they found him.

The corpse is said to have been removed from the riverbed by its family members. The corpse had abrasions on the face and bruises on the body, but forensic authorities argued that they were a result of the currents at the bottom of the river.

Thus, although the first versions pointed to a presumed murder, the official report confirmed natural death.

A family source denied in statements to the aforementioned communicator that the young man had been raped and that his body had been found naked. They clarified that an uncle found the body and that he was wearing the same shorts he had been seen in last.

Without a funeral

The remains of Raciel Mateo Vega could not be laid out for viewing by his family in a funeral home.

The relatives only had 15 minutes of wake at the grave in the cemetery.

"The three girls who were doing the assessment said that, due to the amount of hours he had been in the water, he could not be embalmed. They stated that it had to be direct, that they should be there to say goodbye for 10 or 15 minutes at the cemetery, but that they did not authorize him to be embalmed at the funeral home," the family source reported.

A few hours after being found and after being taken to the municipal hospital for the doctors to determine the cause of death, the young man was bid farewell by some neighbors and family members who were able to reach the cemetery.

Despite the official version pointing to a heart attack as the cause of death, several young neighbors who were with Raciel at the river on Sunday were summoned to the police station to give statements about what happened.

Raciel's parents, on the other hand, were summoned by the forensic police to provide an explanation of what happened.

According to Mayeta Labrada, the authorities told the parents not to make prior judgments about bruises and other injuries because they could determine what had really happened through the autopsy.

"At first glance, relatives may think something, but when they verify it scientifically, it's another thing," concluded the communicator.

The young man's death has been met with sadness by those who knew him, as they assert that he was helpful and very kind to the elderly in his community, with whom he often used to chat a lot.

They also emphasize that he was a very hard-working young man who always sold candies to help his mom.

Until the closure of this note, there are no other details about the unfortunate case, which has mourned another Cuban family.