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Uruguay’s missing women may have been trafficked. Why doesn’t the state care?

Exclusive: Our 12-month investigation into cases of nine women reveals years of failure by police and prosecutors

A collage of pictures of Jennifer Gómez, Yamila Estévez, Micaela Ramírez, Florencia Barrales, Silvia Fregueiro, Daniela Bera,
Jennifer Gómez, Yamila Estévez, Micaela Ramírez, Florencia Barrales, Silvia Fregueiro, Daniela Bera, Tatiana Pintos, Gina Rodríguez, and Milagros Cuello - Social media images and photo courtesy of Silvia Fregueiro’s family
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For six years, Nancy Baladán has ridden her motorcycle along Uruguay’s country paths and urban highways in search of answers about the night that altered her life forever.

On 3 December 2016, her daughter Milagros Cuello received a phone call. It was already 11pm and the 16-year-old was in bed. But something about the call made her get up. “I’ll be back in five minutes,” Milagros told her father before setting off on foot to the main square of their town, Pando.

Those few minutes turned to hours. And then weeks, months and years. The family never saw Milagros again.