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The Cuban citizen Yuri Domínguez Álvarez has been missing for a month in the city of Florianópolis, in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil, with his family unable to obtain any information about his whereabouts.
Domínguez, 46 years old, was last seen on June 5, when he left his rental home in the Saco Grande neighborhood carrying a backpack, and he never returned.
Her sister-in-law Karen Rubio published the alert in the Facebook group "Cubans in Florianópolis" this Sunday, marking exactly one month since the disappearance.
"Today marks one month since my brother-in-law went missing, and we have no information about him. (...) The family is desperate, not knowing what might have happened," she expressed, sharing a photograph of Domínguez, whom she described as a tall man with fair skin, without specifying any other physical characteristics or details that could be helpful in the search.
Domínguez's phone has been off since the first day, which has hindered any contact, he explained.
Rubio made a direct appeal to Cubans living in that region: "We ask the Cuban community in Florianópolis and the surrounding areas to please help us or contact us if anyone has seen him or knows anything. Any information, no matter how small, could be important."
"We are very worried. Please share this message. Truly, any help counts," he concluded.
In response to the questions from various Cubans in the group, Rubio explained that his brother-in-law is alone in Brazil, as his wife and children live in Cuba; he is a hardworking and quiet man who avoids getting into trouble.
He pointed out that a Cuban living in the same city helped the family: he filed a report with the police and went to the hospital to try to find him, but there was no record of him.
"The report was made to the police and is also on the missing persons page, and I have shared it in all the groups I found in Florianópolis," she said. "I want to believe that she is okay and that the worst hasn't happened; it has been a month since we have heard anything."
On the same social network, user Belkis Castellanos López shared a notice on her profile and in the group "Cubans in Curitiba". She explained that Maite, Álvarez's sister, reached out to her to help spread awareness of the case among the Cuban community in Brazil.
"Last seen on June 5th, leaving his rental with a backpack, and he did not return; we suspect he is in a rural area," Castellanos stated. He added that his cell phone is still off and that he was not paying for the phone line.
Domínguez lived in Saco Grande, a neighborhood in the northern part of the island of Santa Catarina, with access to natural and rural areas, which supports the hypothesis that he could be in some remote area.
The disappearance of Domínguez was also recorded by the organization SOS Desaparecidos in Brazil, following the formal report to the authorities.
The case occurs in the context of the massive Cuban exodus to Brazil. In 2025, Cubans submitted 41,919 asylum applications in that country, an increase of 88% compared to the previous year, making them the leading nationality for asylum requests, surpassing Venezuelans. Only between January and April of 2026, another 13,414 Cubans applied for asylum, representing 58% of the total applications in the country.
Florianópolis is one of the preferred destinations for Cuban migrants in Brazil, with an active community on social media that uses these platforms to help locate their fellow countrymen.
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