Colombian family waits years for identification of soldier's remains

Roselly Gil, a 59-year-old grandmother from Segovia, joined a forensic team in Rionegro to observe the removal of bones thought to be her brother Jesus Arbey Gil, a soldier who disappeared in 2003. The remains, labeled as an unidentified male, were missing a skull and hands, and initial DNA testing could not yield a match, leading to a re-exhumation and transfer to the Institute of Legal Medicine (IML). The Search Unit for People Reported as Disappeared (UBDP) has identified nearly 5,100 bodies but only a few hundred have been positively identified, hampered by decomposed remains, poor record-keeping, and a backlog of cases.

Families like Gil's remain in limbo, often receiving only partial information while waiting for DNA comparisons that can take months. The IML notes a growing number of cases in its regional labs and an average 90-day turnaround for genetic analysis. Financial constraints further limit the unit’s capacity to accelerate identifications, leaving many relatives without closure.