“The bruises on the neck and arms, the stiffness of the body, and the marks do not match the official version of the drowning.”
14ymedio, Havana, 1 July 2025 — The death of 32-year-old Félix Lázaro Reinoso Rodríguez, while in the custody of the Technical Department of Investigations (DTI) in Matanzas, Cuba, has sparked outrage both on and off the island. The family of the young man, arrested during a blackout on June 23, claims he was beaten to death and that authorities tried to cover up the crime. Images of his body, covered in bruises and showing visible signs of violence, contradict the official version of an alleged escape and subsequent suicide.
“The death certificate is absurd. He was buried in a common grave, like a stranger, without a wake or dignity,” his cousin told independent media. The police, according to her testimony, tried to justify the death by claiming that Reinoso jumped into the sea with a 43-pound rock tied to his body. “But that rock wasn’t there when we went to identify him,” she added. A forensic doctor told them that Reinoso had been dead for more than 48 hours, something that contradicts the official version.
“No one can escape from there.”
Matanzas intellectual Alina Bárbara López Hernández—who knows Reinoso’s family—also doesn’t believe the escape story. “No one escapes from there,” she told 14ymedi . “Those who were inside on 11J say it’s not clear whether it’s day or night.” López also describes how the workers enter through an iron gate where there’s a sentry box with 24-hour guards. Furthermore, there are several blocks between the place where he was detained and the coast. “It doesn’t make sense that that young man escaped to go throw himself into the sea and kill himself,” she added.
Reinoso was arrested Monday night at his home in the municipality of Jovellanos on charges of receiving stolen goods. He had apparently purchased car parts without knowing they were linked to a homicide . From then on, his family’s ordeal began.
“The head of the DTI confronted her and threatened to arrest her.”
On Wednesday, a maternal aunt tried to see him at the DTI station with a lawyer. “They told her she couldn’t enter without an appointment. When she suggested he might have been beaten, the DTI chief confronted her and threatened to arrest her,” her daughter recounted.
On Thursday, the family was informed that Reinoso had “escaped” due to an investigator’s carelessness. And on Friday, they received the worst news: his body had been found in Matanzas Bay. The blow to his family was doubled. Along with the pain came suspicion. “False news is being spread saying he participated in another crime. It’s not true. All he did was buy some car parts. They want to make him look guilty to justify what they did,” his family member lamented.
A doctor close to the family, who was able to examine photos of the body, also denied the official version. “A person who drowns turns pale, not purple, and their eyes don’t pop out. That happens due to asphyxiation,” she explained. Furthermore, “the bruises on the neck and arms, the stiffness of the body, and the marks do not match a fall or drowning.”
“They are crossing all limits”
The most unusual thing was the police’s insistence on burying him as “unknown,” claiming that the water had washed away his fingerprints. “They wanted to get rid of him quickly,” the cousin complained. Only after family pressure were they able to recover the body, but with no possibility of a wake or farewell.
The family has hired lawyers and says they will take this to the bitter end. “We’re going all out. The more that’s known, the harder it will be for them to get away with it,” the cousin asserted.
López compared what happened to the repressive practices of the Batista dictatorship. Even Caridad Suárez Díaz, a veteran of the clandestine movement, regretfully confessed to him, “This is not what we fought for,” upon learning of Reinoso’s case. “They are crossing all boundaries,” López warned. “We are in the final phase of a process that we knew would be very difficult. And the worst is yet to come.”
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