Doraiky Águila Vázquez disappeared on March 15 during a blackout, when she was traveling along the Diez de Octubre causeway
14ymedio, Havana, 27 July 2025 (delayed translation) — A Cuban woman walks the streets of Havana with a sign hanging around her neck, imploring help to find her daughter who has been missing for more than four months. Since March 15, all trace of Doraiky Águila Vázquez has been lost and, as time passes, the anguish of the family grows. “Looking at the phone is already part of my life, accompanied by pain and a lot of anguish,” wrote Maura Vázquez, the teacher’s mother, in a recent message published on her Facebook profile, where she also thanked the solidarity she has received.
“I have been able to listen to the opinions of the people… I was able to see a people (at least the ones I have encountered) that is already demanding more action to find Doraiky, which everyone is willing to support,” explains the woman, who expects more involvement from the police authorities in the search for her 48-year-old daughter.
One of the most moving testimonies that the old woman has heard came from a former student of Águila, who approached her in tears to remind her of her dedication: “I was a student of her daughter, she taught me a lot of Law… the Law that she taught so much is not being applied with her, nor the values that she always demonstrated as a human being,” challenged the young woman in the face of official inertia.
The young woman also recalled how Águila, attentive to her students, even helped with material details: “On one occasion she realized that a student did not go home because she did not have money, and she immediately bought the ticket, and even shared her soap with the students from the province.” The student is clear in her recommendation to Vázquez: “Mother, shout from the rooftops, that Doraiky deserves that the best techniques be applied, the best professionals and that the leadership of the country know and participate,” she insisted.
“I have been able to listen to the opinions of the people… I was able to see a people (at least the ones I have encountered) that is already demanding more action to find Doraiky, which everyone is willing to support”
Águila disappeared on March 15 during a blackout, when she was traveling along the Diez de Octubre causeway in Havana. She was wearing a yellow dress with red or pink flowers and suffered episodes of transient memory loss (technically “Transient Global Amnesia”), according to the family. Since then, there have been no solid clues to his whereabouts. The police report is registered with the number 19434, and the relatives have offered a reward of 350,000 Cuban pesos to anyone who provides information that leads her to be found.
The image of the missing teacher circulates on social networks, in informal messaging channels and has been shared by organizations such as Yo Sí Te Creo en Cuba and Alas Tensas. The case has been reviewed by several independent media outlets and frequently cited as an example of the growing number of unsolved disappearances on the island.
The passage of days has transformed the tone of family messages. Since June, Maura has held the State directly responsible for the lack of results. “My mood is one of criticism… I no longer ask, I do not beg, I do not implore; I hold the Cuban government responsible for the search process,” she wrote. She complains that the necessary resources have not been mobilized, despite the existence of organized bodies prepared for tracking operations. She also stresses that no state authority has offered her information on the progress of the investigations.
In the meantime, her absence is the only certainty. “Having to see my wonderful daughter only in photos does not make my tears stop,” says her mother. The search continues, in the absence of official answers, sustained by the faith of a family and the echo of solidarity of those who, without knowing Doraiky Águila, believe that her case deserves more attention and justice.
Translated by Hombre de Paz
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