Maximiliano Ávila or rather ‘Marzo’ as his uncles and brothers affectionately called him, was one of the 4 children of the Ávila Barrera family. Marzo grew up with his childhood godparents, Joaquín and Ana Elía; Without choosing it, he was fortunate to have two families, the one by upbringing and the one by blood. Although sometimes a little far from the latter, every time he had vacations or days off, he would appear as a surprise to visit them.
Being absent like this became a habit because Mrs. Alicia, her mother, began to have convulsions and epileptic attacks that prevented her from having all the attention she would have wanted for her children.
Ana de Dios, Efraín, Delfina and Maximiliano had an upbringing lacking in games and rather full of field work. “To earn a living you have to work,” says Delfina, and Maximiliano knew that well, which is why as soon as he came of age, he began to work as a day laborer, first in the countryside and then in one of the towns where there seemed to be the greatest boom in job.
“I keep memories in the banana tree, while we planted rice, we played making holes for planting; We also fought in those fights as children,” recalls her sister Delfina, who was the closest among her siblings.
March started working in Aguazul, a municipality just 30 minutes from Yopal; That’s how visits to his house began to become rarer. Sometimes between two or three months of time. In one of those in 2000, an acquaintance of the family came to the residence and told the family that he had heard on the radio about the possible death of a young man who “apparently was March.” According to the acquaintance, the events mentioned were confusing but were related to armed groups.
The only reference was that it had appeared in Aguazul and possibly the body was in the cemetery of said municipality. “Those people went around there, taking the boys and I think that at that time when they were recruiting boys from both sides, they took him away,” says Delfina when remembering the bitter news.
He also remembers that his father, Don Santos, went to the Aguazul cemetery to try to find out some information, but at that time remaining silent was guaranteeing safety. That’s why, when he was trying to find out what happened to his brother March, he couldn’t find anyone to give him an answer.
Between indifference and pain, months and years passed. Being a country family, without knowledge of the procedures and processes, they continued their lives and left the loss to resignation and the pain of absence.
Twenty years later, Delfina says that she received a call from the Search Unit for Missing Persons, UBPD, where she was informed of the scheduling of a humanitarian action for the recovery of several bodies in the Aguazul cemetery and it was there where she revived. the hope of being able to say that last goodbye to his brother.
It was in this process, carried out in May 2022, when the UBPD team was able to review and cross-check the information from the humanitarian investigation, which showed that one of the bodies found could coincide with Maximiliano’s case. After contacting the family, the Search Unit had several meetings with them, not only to compare their testimony, but also to take biological samples that confirmed that it was indeed the body sought.
During the dignified surrender period, the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences presented the autopsy report to the family and, at their request, they were presented with parts of the clothing that Maximiliano was wearing on the day of the disappearance. A pair of shorts and a shoe were the items that everyone recognized.
“We already know where it was. We will not even doubt that he is. You can see his clothes that he dressed in and I have peace of mind that they have already given him to us and we can go visit him in the cemetery,” said Delfina with the sadness of the absence, but the joy of finally finding him.
After the priest presented his last religious act, Mrs. Hilda, ‘Marzo’s’ aunt, said that “in the mass there was a moment when my heart felt his presence.” For her, that moment was enough to calm the feeling of absence and despair that he kept for many years about his nephew. She invited her family to forgive the past and live in the present.
One of the few photos of Maximiliano that are still preserved in the family album shows him with a small plywood bag, which is how Delfina remembers him by bringing his name to mind. There were no tears, but there was a smile, a few words of forgiveness and respect to say goodbye to March, a goodbye that lasted for 20 years, a wait that finally ends and allows his body to rest in the Yopal cemetery, that place. where you can visit him and bring him a flower.
Source: Missing Persons Search Unit – UBPD
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