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María Concepción Dueñas Viciedo, 40 years old and a resident of the Sevillano neighborhood in the municipality of Diez de Octubre, Havana, has been missing for three days, and her family is seeking help to locate her.
Her sister Giralda Dueñas Viciedo made an urgent appeal on Facebook this Sunday asking for information that could help find her: "Please, to all my friends and acquaintances, this is my sister María Concepción Dueñas, she has been missing since Thursday, please if anyone has seen her or has any information, contact me."
Contacted by CiberCuba, Giralda stated that the last time anyone heard from María Concepción was last Thursday, when neighbors heard her talking in her home during a blackout in the area.
"The last time they heard her was at home making noise with the sheep, due to a major blackout that occurred, and since that day, they haven't seen her again," reported her sister, who lives outside of Cuba.
The family and neighbors do not know how she was dressed at the time of her disappearance, as the last contact was not visual.
The case shows warning signs of violence against women: María Concepción's boyfriend, identified as Lemay, has a history of prior assaults against her.
Giralda explained that her sister continued the relationship with the man despite the attacks, which she attributed to María Concepción having a moderate intellectual disability and that "he manipulates her."
The disappearance occurred in the context of an unprecedented electrical crisis in the country, with blackouts lasting more than 20 hours daily in Havana, which may have hindered immediate search efforts.
Hearing no news from María Concepción, friends and neighbors turned to the police, who urged them to force the door of the house themselves to check if the woman was inside.
Neighbors broke into the house this Sunday, but she was not inside, her sister confirmed.
Giralda added that she will file a formal complaint with the authorities again regarding the disappearance, and she asked anyone with information to contact her through her Facebook profile or reach Yamilet at the number +53 56343805.
The police response following the initial report of María Concepción's disappearance reflects a pattern of delayed institutional action that has recurred in similar situations throughout the country.
In recent years, there have been multiple cases of missing women in Havana, some of whom had mental health conditions as an aggravating factor, such as a young mother found recently and a woman with schizophrenia who was sought last year.
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