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Francisca Cadenas Marquez (born 13 November 1957) was a woman who vanished from the small town of Hornachos, Spain. Her disappearance is notable for the short time span it would've had to occur in and how close she was to her home. Spain's Guardia Civil believes foul play is involved.
Case[]
On 9 May 2017, Cadenas went to drop off the 3-year-old daughter of a friend she was babysitting and walked down to their car to say goodbye. Afterwards, she was seen turning around to walk back home. Her walk home took her through a 50-meter alleyway, and it would've taken only 60 footsteps to walk from one end to another. Because her house was so close, her family grew concerned after only 5 minutes and reported her missing after only 10.
The police found no signs of a struggle in the alleyway. Over 50 wells were searched with cameras lowered down them as well. They also used sniffer dogs to scour the mountains and swamps on the outskirts of Hornachos, searched the nearby rivers and abandoned homes, and had a helicopter fly over Hornachos.
The police arrested a 33-year-old seasonal worker from the Dominican Republic with a criminal record for assault and attempted murder. He was walking down the same street as Cadenas at the time and came forward as a witness initially before being detained. He was eventually released after the police verified his alibi.
Sources[]
- La Vanguardia (Spanish)