Thu, 05 February 11:00 2009

Internet search for missing 17-year-old girl

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More News from the Costa de Almería

Missing from home: 17-year-old Marta del Castillo

BY ALFREDO BLOY
POLICE are examining home computers in the search for clues to the disappearance of Marta del Castillo Casanueva, who was last seen by a neighbour at around 9:30pm on Saturday, January 24, in the lobby of the apartment building where she lives on Calle Argantorio, in Sevilla City centre’s Tartessos neighbourhood.
Marta’s parents arrived home at some point after 9:30pm and found she was not at home. When her 11pm Saturday curfew came and went, they rang her, only to find that her phone was switched off. By 2am they had called the police and reported her missing.
Since then, her inexplicable disappearance has initiated one of the biggest missing person search operations in Spain’s history. However, it seems that this is one with a very modern theme to it, as the internet appears to be providing the only useful clues so far.
Marta, a pretty, slim, green-eyed 17-year-old student at the San Juan Bosco School, lives with her parents and two younger sisters, aged 10 and 11. At the time of her disappearance she was known to be wearing jeans and a black corduroy jacket. She was carrying her ID card, mobile phone, house keys and less than ten euros in cash.
Although not an A-stream student, she is described by her father, Antonio, as being very popular and happy and, perhaps more worryingly, innocent and trusting. Like other girls of her age, she spends her time between socialising with friends, school and online chatting on social network sites like Facebook and Tuenti.
All that is known about the day of her disappearance is that she left home at 5pm and met up with friends in the Triana neighbourhood. Among these was Miguel, her 19-year-old ex-boyfriend. Miguel gave her a lift home on his motorbike and dropped her off about 25 metres from her building.
At 9:30pm, Encarnacion, a neighbour, passed by Marta in the building’s lobby area. Encarnacion remembers that, as she greeted her, Marta was standing around as if she was waiting for someone. Another neighbour claimed to have heard a scream at roughly around this time, although none of the others questioned heard anything untoward.
During the course of the investigation, it transpired that her father distinctly remembered that when he left the house on the Saturday afternoon, the internet router was switched off. Upon his return in the evening, it was switched on. It is assumed therefore, that Marta returned home after being dropped off, switched on the computer and connected to the internet. It is thought that she may have received a call or a message on her computer that led her to go down to the lobby to wait for someone. Who that someone may have been remains unknown but forensic experts are examining her computer and analysing telephone records in an attempt to establish what communications took place during this time.
A second computer was taken from Marta’s grand- parents’ home, which is in the same building, after her father revealed that, when she achieved poor school grades, they would confiscate her mobile and ban her from using the computer at home. On these occasions, it is believed she would go to her grandparents’ apartment to use their internet.
The campaign:
A massive poster campaign has been initiated throughout Sevilla and in many other Andalucian provinces. In Benalmadena, for example, the post office has displayed posters, as has the railway station. The Renfe posters offer their fax number as a means of gathering any information about Marta.
On Thursday, January 29, Sevilla football club players wore white t-shirts with a picture of Marta and the word ‘desaparecida’, during their warm up.
The scale of the publicity generated by this young girl’s disappearance is thought to be unprecedented.
A group of her friends have set up a ‘missing’ page on Tuenti, that has so far registered support from some 500,000 people. Several Facebook pages are also currently active, mostly under the heading, ‘desaparecida’ (missing) the biggest of these having in excess of 23,000 members so far.
It is still possible that the very medium which may have been instrumental in her disappearance may be the means by which the case is solved.
If you have any information regarding this case please contact the police or call
610 742 839 or 954 417 922.

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