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What seemed to be the final stretch of a painful process turned into another nightmare for the family of Elianis Betsalie Toro Martínez, the young Cuban dancer who was murdered during the armed attack and fire at Lacoss bar in Puebla.
Despite several official and media sources in Mexico reporting that the Cuban government would take charge of the repatriation of the remains, reality hit hard for the parents when the Mexican funeral home informed them that they must pay $2,500 to be able to send the ashes to the island.
The information was confirmed by Reto Diario, which reported that Cuba only covered the funeral expenses and the cremation, excluding the cost of international transport, despite the fact that the family had previously been informed that all expenses would be assumed by the Cuban state.
The newspaper Cambio, in an article by journalist Karla Hernández, also confirmed the situation and added that Elianis' parents were “stranded in Puebla” as they had no way to gather the money demanded by the funeral home.
They arrived in Mexico devastated, with humanitarian visas and relying on their government's intervention, but now they remain trapped in an economic and emotional limbo, unable to return to Cuba with the ashes of their only daughter.
The journalist Martha Berra, from the media outlet A Tiempo, which has been following the case since the beginning, confirmed on X that the funeral home is requesting $2,500 because Cuba "only covered the funeral and cremation expenses." In her message, Berra emphasized that the family is experiencing a new phase of distress.
The turn in the story occurs just hours after several Mexican media outlets replicated official statements suggesting the opposite. In a previous interview published by A Tiempo Noticias, where prosecutor Idamis Pastor confirmed that she authorized the cremation of Elianis's body, the outlet stated that the Cuban government would cover both the funeral and repatriation expenses, an event it described as "unprecedented," as cremation is typically not permitted in cases still under investigation.
That same version was being discussed until yesterday, when Cuba was managing the repatriation of Elianis's body “in accordance with the family's wishes”, as reported by the Cuban Consulate in Mexico. But today, the family is facing a very different reality.
Elianis, a mother of a small child and the economic support of her family in Holguín, died of carbon monoxide poisoning during the attack on the Lacoss bar. Her parents were initially only able to recognize her via video call because they did not have the resources to travel. When they finally arrived in Puebla, they identified the body, completed the necessary paperwork, and believed that the repatriation was guaranteed.
They now find themselves without money, without answers, and unable to return to Cuba with their daughter's remains. The funeral home will not release the urn until the $2,500 is paid. For now, no Cuban authority has clarified why the promise to cover the transportation was not fulfilled or if any additional support will be provided.
The Attorney General's Office of the State of Puebla confirmed the arrest of Gabriel N., known as “El Tato”, identified as the suspected perpetrator of the attack. The capture, resulting from an inter-institutional operation, marks the first step toward justice for the young woman's family.
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