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José Manuel Blanco Palacios, a 22-year-old resident of El Cobre, in Santiago de Cuba, was found safe and sound this Tuesday after being missing for a week, according to independent journalist Cuscó Tarradell on his Facebook page.
The young man had left his home on Monday, April 13 at noon, telling his family he would be back shortly. His father, frantic due to the absence, reached out to the independent communicator to seek public assistance and raise awareness of the case on social media.
"He left the house last Monday at noon, saying he would be back shortly, that he was going to take care of something... and until today, seven days, seven sad days, he hasn't returned," the father recounted, as reported by Cuscó Tarradell in his Monday publication.
José Manuel was identified by a resident of the same community of El Cobre in the area of Buey Cabón beach, at the point where the municipality of Guamá begins, about 75 km from El Cobre, next to the road that connects Santiago de Cuba with Chivirico.
The journalist reported that the neighbor recognized the young man and immediately contacted the family upon seeing the post shared on Facebook.
"At the time he was found, he appeared to be somewhat dazed, according to the people who took part in his identification and immediately contacted his family upon seeing our post.", wrote Cuscó Tarradell.
The mother of the young man, Yamilsi Palacios Cruzata, quickly sent a message of relief to the journalist.
"His mother kindly sent me a photograph upon her return home to El Cobre, as a sign of relief after days of anguish," Cuscó Tarradell added in his post this Tuesday, where alongside the text there is a photo of mother and child.
The communicator concluded their post with a call to reflection and gratitude to those who made the reunion possible: "Endless thanks to all my followers and those who shared the information to help a family in the midst of uncertainty."
As of the closure of this note, there are no further details regarding the causes of the disappearance or the circumstances surrounding the discovery of the young man from Santiago.
There is no protocol for the missing in Cuba
The case once again highlights the lack of official protocols in Cuba for the search of missing persons.
Cuba lacks a rapid alert system similar to the Amber Alert, which forces families to turn to social media and independent communicators to mobilize the public.
It was precisely the viral spread of the Facebook post that allowed a neighbor to recognize José Manuel and reach out to his family.
The independent communicator Cuscó Tarradell has become a key figure in raising awareness of missing persons cases in Santiago de Cuba.
In the previous weeks, it also reported the disappearance of the autistic boy Enzo Larduet Rivera, 11 years old, who was found safe and sound on April 13, and the case of Raimiel Salazar Cobas, 12 years old, located on April 19.
Not all cases have ended happily: on March 30, Daniel Márquez Aguilera, 18 years old, was found dead in an area of mangroves in the municipality of Guamá, under circumstances that raised multiple questions.
The Gender Observatory of Alas Tensas recorded by the end of 2025 at least 22 active alerts for disappearances in Cuba, primarily of women and girls, highlighting a sustained crisis to which the State does not provide effective responses.
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