On 20 May 2025, Elías Giménez, a 20-year-old with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), disappeared from his home in Mariano Roque Alonso. Surveillance cameras captured his last image alive the previous night, when he got into a car working for the Bolt platform.
His mother, Marta Riveros, began an anguished search but repeatedly ran into bureaucratic hurdles. A week later, authorities confirmed that Elías had been found dead under the Héroes del Chaco Bridge, a victim of drowning.
"I dreamed of hugging him one more time, hearing his laugh, having him tell me about his day, continuing to build together those little moments that meant everything to us. But it wasn't to be. A prosecutorial protocol, designed for general cases and not for people with disabilities, robbed me of that opportunity," Marta wrote in an open letter days after receiving the most painful news of her life.
This week, the association of parents and guardians of people with ASD (TEA PY) used its social media to recall the case and send a warning to the relevant bodies about the need to understand this condition that affects neurodevelopment and makes people more vulnerable.
The organisation published a timeline from the disappearance to the discovery of the body, highlighting that the case deeply marked the community and united it in the search for answers, truth and humanity. "Each date reflects not only facts, but also the despair of a family that never stopped searching and the strength of a mother who walked every possible path," the statement says.
TEA PY maintains that the story could have been different if those responsible for the response had understood autism and shown empathy from the start, recognising that autistic people do not grasp danger or fully comprehend certain situations. "Understanding autism is not optional, it is urgent; because empathy also saves lives. For Elías. For his mother. And for all people on the autism spectrum who deserve fast, humane and well-trained responses," the association concludes.