The lifeless body of Carlos Alberto Pérez Escala, 15 years old, was recovered this week in Manzanillo, Granma province. Although an official pro-government Facebook profile attributed his death to drowning while swimming in a river, that version has been questioned by numerous neighbors and family members, who assert that the teenager may have been murdered.
The profile Entérate con Aytana Alama reported on the recovery of a body in the Vuelta al Caño community and described the death as an "incident of drowning that occurred while bathing in the river."
The post also called for caution regarding the information circulating about the death: "Let us avoid spreading rumors, speculations, or posts with unconfirmed information; in addition to misinforming, they can increase the family’s suffering."
However, numerous comments questioned both the circumstances described and the location where the teenager was said to have been found.
Neighbors and family members reject the drowning version
“The only certain thing about your post is the child's name, get informed”, wrote a user in response to the information shared by the official profile.
Another commentator was more emphatic: “That’s not how it happened, he was killed, don’t try to change the facts.”
Several people pointed out that the body was not found in Vuelta al Caño, but rather in an area known as El Palmar, specifically in a place called "the toad's crossing."
“They took him deceived, and it was at the frog crossing, not on the return but in the palm grove,” one of the participants in the discussion asserted.
There were also direct criticisms of the published information.
"With that profile picture, we know who you work for, stop spreading misinformation, it's known that he was killed," wrote another user.
A woman who identified herself as the cousin of the teenager also rejected the accident version and stated: “They killed him, and it's true they took him deceived; they ended him and his parents, rest in peace, beautiful cousin.”
The murder accusations and the circumstances described by the commentators have not been independently corroborated.
Reports of possible arrests and new complaints
The crime reporter Niover Licea, responsible for the platform NiO Reporting a Crime, subsequently shared new information on Facebook attributed to sources close to the teenager's family.
According to their report, three individuals have been detained in connection with the death of the minor and would remain in custody at police facilities in Bayamo.
So far, there has been no official confirmation of those alleged arrests, nor has the information been independently verified.
The communicator also gathered reports suggesting that the death may be related to an alleged religious ritual. This hypothesis arises from testimonials received by their platform and is not supported by forensic results or known official conclusions.
The report also mentions a complaint from a neighbor regarding religious ceremonies held in homes in a neighborhood of Manzanillo, including an event that supposedly took place on the day of the teenager's death.
The allegations circulated by the reporter add to the suspicions expressed on social media, but they do not establish that a homicide has been committed nor identify any potential culprits.
At the moment, there is no official information available regarding the cause of death, the results of any potential autopsy, or the status of the investigations.
Among the comments published about the case, there are calls for clarification of the events. "There is no outlet that is publicizing what is happening in our locality with so much violence, indiscipline, and so many things are harming us," lamented a user.
Others demanded that "the facts be clarified" and expressed their insistence that "we want justice" for the death of the teenager.
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