The government’s spokesperson, Camila Vallejo, confirmed the Chilean Investigative Police (PDI) have assigned “exclusive dedication” to clarify the case of the forced disappearance of the Mapuche environmental defender and community leader, Julia Chuñil Catricura, who was last seen on November 8, 2024, in the Huichaco sector of the commune of Máfil, in the Los Ríos Region.
“Where is Julia Chuñil? It’s a question that many fellow citizens and communities have rightly asked—and one the Government is asking at this moment, too. It is not only a question for society and the Government, but one the State must ask itself—and is asking,” the minister said.
“No person can disappear without a trace. It is the duty of the State and of society as a whole to find the whereabouts of Julia Chuñil, to understand what happened and what led to her disappearance,” she added.
On behalf of the Government, Minister Vallejo expressed solidarity with those close to the president of the Putreguel Indigenous Community, acknowledging the “uncertainty they are in” nearly 11 months after her disappearance.
“We want to be very clear: we stand in solidarity and empathize with Julia Chuñil’s loved ones in the uncertainty they face and the emotional repercussions caused by speculation in the press about an ongoing investigation,” she affirmed.
This followed confirmation on Tuesday, September 30, by both the Mapuche defender’s family and their attorney, Karina Riquelme, of a court-authorized phone interception in which the main suspect, businessman Juan Carlos Morstadt Anwandter, allegedly acknowledged that Chuñil was burned.
“We cannot lose sight of this, because behind the disappearance of Julia Chuñil are human beings—her loved ones—who are deeply worried,” Vallejo emphasized.
Government Support and the PDI’s “Exclusive Dedication”
The minister underscored that the Government has provided concrete support for efforts to locate the 73-year-old Mapuche leader, particularly by strengthening PDI teams and assigning investigators with exclusive dedication to the case.
“Recognizing the separation of powers and that another branch of the State is in charge of the investigation, the Government is not only concerned—it has acted. From the very beginning, it reinforced the PDI police units leading the case and assigned detectives with exclusive dedication. In other words, we increased human resources to support all forensic work within the investigation—again, with exclusive dedication—to contribute to the work of the Public Prosecutor’s Office,” she said.
“This is very important because, I insist, it’s not enough to worry—we must act,” she stressed.
Finally, she reaffirmed that, while respecting the autonomy of another branch of the State, the Government expects the investigation to produce as quickly as possible the outcome everyone hopes for: discovering the whereabouts of Julia Chuñil.
