Arsenio Silvera, a custodian of warehouses with parking service in the municipality of San Miguel del Padrón, Havana, died after being brutally beaten at his workplace, according to reports from his relatives, who claim that the man had previously approached the police regarding threats related to the theft of an electric motorcycle.
The family received the news of his passing at around 10:00 p.m. on September 25, according to a report shared by activist Magdiel Jorge Castro.
So far, no official information has been released by Cuban authorities regarding the crime or potential suspects.
A robbery, threats, and a report to the police
The origin of the conflict appears to be the disappearance of an electric motorcycle from the location where Silvera worked, according to the testimony of a relative reported by the aforementioned source.
A person had parked the motorcycle on the premises, and subsequently, the vehicle was taken by a relative of its owner.
From then on, according to the same source, threats and extortions related to theft began.
Relatives claim that Silvera went to the police and reported what was happening.
He was subsequently attacked at his workplace and received a severe beating, according to his associates' account.
At the moment, there is no official information available to determine who participated in the assault, whether it was indeed related to the theft of the motorcycle, or what actions the authorities took after the report that, according to the family, Silvera had filed.
They found him alive in a pool of blood
The family report shared describes the severity of the scene where the guard was found: “He was found alive, lying in a pool of blood”.
Silvera was transferred to a hospital in serious condition. According to his relatives, they were informed that he needed to be admitted to intensive care, but that admission never took place.
“He remained at the guardhouse and was taken to the Calixto García Hospital,” the family explained.
However, according to the complaint, the ambulance needed to carry out that transfer never arrived.
Finally, Silvera has died. His family claims they received the news at approximately 10:00 PM on September 25.
Hours waiting for the transfer of the body
The family's suffering continued after learning of the worker's death.
Relatives reported delays, a lack of information, and the absence of clear responses during the procedures to transfer the body to Guanajay, Artemisa, where his family was located.
According to the disclosed testimony, on September 26, they were informed that the transfer would take place approximately starting at 3:00 p.m.. However, at 7:46 p.m., they were still waiting.
“They just now went to retrieve the body”, reported the relatives, who stated that they had been informed that the corpse was in “very poor condition” at the funeral home on Calzada y K.
The family lamented that, despite the passage of time, no one provided them with a clear explanation: “No one gives us a clear answer nor takes responsibility for the situation”, they noted.
Without official information about the investigation
So far, no official details have been made public regarding the identity of those responsible for the assault, the exact circumstances of the attack, or the status of any potential police investigation.
There is also no official confirmation regarding the prior complaint that, according to family members, Silvera filed with the police concerning the threats and extortions he allegedly received.
Another violent incident in San Miguel del Padrón
The case of Silvera emerged amid another serious episode of violence reported in San Miguel del Padrón.
On September 26, four masked individuals assaulted a small business in Juanelo: they fired shots inside the establishment, injured a worker in the arm, and sprayed the owner with spray, affecting her vision.
“There is no one to control crime in Cuba,” stated an eyewitness who described that assault, according to journalist Camila Acosta.
Other guards victims of violent incidents
Silvera is not the only guard whose violent death has made headlines in Cuba in recent months.
In August of this year, Rafael Jiner Guerra, a 64-year-old custodian with 34 years of service, died during a robbery in the parking lot of the Ernesto Guevara General Teaching Hospital in Las Tunas.
Three young people aged between 21 and 25 were detained in September for their alleged involvement in that crime, although their identities and formal charges were not disclosed at that time.
Electric motorcycles, like the one that went missing from the place where Silvera worked, have also become particularly coveted items among criminals due to their high value. In the Cuban informal market, some models can exceed 2,000 dollars.
Independent organizations raise alarms about homicides
The case occurs in a context where independent organizations have warned about an increase in violent incidents in Cuba, while the authorities do not publish sufficiently detailed periodic statistics that would allow for an independent assessment of the evolution of criminality.
According to the Cuban Observatory of Citizen Audit (OCAC), the documented murders by this organization increased by 43% during the first half of 2026 compared to the same period the previous year, rising from 63 to 90 cases.
The observatory also reported the fatality rate of recorded crimes at 10.35 deaths per 100 offenses, compared to 5.23 in the previous period.
On its part, Cubalex documented 52 homicides in August 2026, the highest monthly figure recorded by that organization since it began its monitoring in 2024, following the 37 cases counted in July.
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