Fifty years after Argentina's military coup, families of the disappeared are finally finding closure as more victims are identified. Soledad Nívoli was just four months old when her father, Mario Alberto Nívoli, was taken from their home in Córdoba by plainclothes officers in 1976. Now, 49 years later, his remains have been found at the La Perla former concentration camp.
The military seized power on 24 March 1976, disappearing an estimated 30,000 people—workers, students, teachers and activists. The fate of the 'desaparecidos' became a defining cause for human rights groups. However, President Javier Milei, a libertarian, has described the state terror as a war with 'excesses' and dismantled official efforts to preserve historical memory.
At La Perla, forensic anthropologist Anahí Ginarte has worked since 2004. In 2014, burnt bone fragments from four medical students were found. In late 2024, aerial photos from July 1979 helped narrow the search area. Excavations in September 2025 uncovered bone fragments—not a mass grave, but remnants of a military cleanup operation.
Geneticist Carlos Vullo said identification was 'largely driven by genetics' due to the fragmentary remains. One tooth belonged to either Adriana or Cecilia Carranza, fraternal twins captured in May 1976 at age 18. Their niece, Fernanda Sanmartino, recalled them as 'really cool'. For Soledad Nívoli, finding her father's bones brought relief: 'We can give him a proper sendoff.'
