The Strange Death of Paulette Gebara Farah
Four year old Paulette Gebara Farah. Photo: San Diego Union Tribune
Paulette Gebara Farah was a four year old Mexican girl who was found dead at the foot of her bed 9 days after going missing. Despite these strange circumstances the death was ruled an accident.
Who was Paulette Gebara Farah?
Paulette Gebara Farah was born on the 20th July, 2005, in Huixquilucan, Mexico to Lizette Farah and Mauricio Gebara. She was born prematurely at just 25 weeks of pregnancy, weighing only 1.7 pounds and measuring 1.1 foot.
She had many developmental problems from birth, like trouble moving and talking, which made it tough for her to do everyday things. This meant that she needed to see doctors a lot and take expensive medication. She didn’t have any intellectual disabilities however and was a normal four year old mentally.
She had two nannies, Erika and Martha Casimiro, who took care of her a lot the time so that her parents could take a break.
Despite all of her challenges, Paulette always did better than people expected. She had more struggles than most kids but she never let anything slow her down. Her principal at school said that she always tried hard to do things on her own, and only needed help sometimes because of her motor and language problems.
Over time and with some cool therapy with horses, Paulette even learned how to walk a few steps, which was amazing because the doctors had said she never would. She also learned how to say a few words like "mom," "dad," "water," and "food."
Paulette could have had a wonderful , fulfilling life if it hadn't been cut short before she turned five.
The Disappearance of Paulette Gebara Farah
A missing persons poster for Paulette Gebara Farah. Photo: Wikipedia
On March 21, 2010, Paulette, her sister Lizette, and father Mauricio returned home from a trip to Valle de Bravo around 9pm. When they got back to their place in Huixquilucan, Paulette's nanny Erika put her to bed right away.
Paulette's mom, also named Lizette, had been on a trip to Los Cabos with her friend Amanda, but she got back the same day as her family. Since Paulette was already in her pajamas and ready to sleep, Lizette went to say goodnight and gave her a kiss. Unfortunately, that was supposedly the last time she saw her daughter alive.
The next day, Erika and her sister Martha helped get Paulette's older sister ready for school and waited with Lizette until the school bus came at 7am. About an hour later, Erika went to wake Paulette up for kindergarten, but she wasn't in her room.
In fact, she was nowhere to be found in the family's huge 300 m² apartment. Erika searched all over the place, including in the bathroom, under the bed, in the closet, and even in her sister's room, but there was no sign of Paulette.
There were no indications that Paulette had left the house, which seemed improbable due to her motor disabilities. The little girl had difficulty getting out of bed by herself, let alone walking from her room to the front door without assistance.
Erika was afraid that someone had taken Paulette during the night and immediately informed Lizette and Mauricio. They then conducted a frantic search for Paulette around the condominium area where they lived, but to no avail.
Mauricio contacted his sister to report Paulette missing, and she informed the authorities, including the Attorney General of the State of Mexico. A forensic team, police officers, and detectives searched the two-story home, but there were no signs of forced entry, struggle, missing items, or Paulette. The investigators were left puzzled without any leads to follow.
As Arlette Farah, Paulette's aunt, reached out on social media for help and posted her photos, the story quickly became a media sensation. Billboards, flyers, and ads were put up all over the country. However, the intense search and investigation caused controversy, as more than four children go missing every day in Mexico, and police often cannot handle all the cases. Despite the attention and resources poured into the case, there was no progress, leaving everyone hoping for a positive resolution.
Paulette's parents made numerous public appearances, where they appealed for their daughter's safe return. Lizette hinted at the possibility of Paulette being kidnapped, but many questioned this theory due to the lack of evidence indicating a break-in, struggle or ransom demand.
Lizette's demeanor during interviews, where she appeared nervous but never shed a tear, drew suspicion from the public. Her response to a question regarding how her daughter could have been taken, where she jokingly mentioned the possibility of aliens or Harry Potter being responsible, added to the growing discomfort. As time passed, doubts surfaced regarding the family's initial account of events.
On the fifth day following Paulette's disappearance, Lizette granted another interview from inside her daughter's room. She recounted the events of the night of her daughter's disappearance, highlighting her grief and desire for Paulette's safe return.
During the interview, the journalist Lilly Téllez did not observe anything unusual in Paulette's room or in Lizette's demeanor.
The Body of Paulette Gebara Farah is discovered
Paulette's remains were discovered in her bedroom around 2:00 AM on March 31. In a leaked video of the investigation, one investigator stated that Paulette had been severely beaten, but this was later refuted by General Attorney Bazbaz.
The official cause of death was determined to be accidental due to "mechanical asphyxia due to obstruction of the nasal cavities and thorax-abdominal compression." The autopsy revealed that Paulette had an orthopedic cloth over her mouth that was used to prevent her from sleeping with her mouth open.
Her body had not been tampered with after her death, and she had eaten at least five hours before her death. There were two segments of rectangular adhesive cloth on both cheeks, and signs of a blow to the left elbow and knee, but no signs of physical or sexual violence were found.
The autopsy also indicated that Paulette died between five and nine days before the analysis, and it was established that she could have died on the first day.
The official report concluded that Paulette accidentally fell headlong into a space at the foot of her bed, where she died of asphyxiation and remained unnoticed for nine days. No traces of drugs or toxic substances were found in her body that could have affected her consciousness.
The Strange Behaviour of Paulette’s Parents
As soon as the official story broke, it caused outrage throughout Mexico. The nation found it hard to believe that Paulette's body could have been undiscovered in the family home for so long.
Also, the behavior of Paulette's parents had been questionable since the beginning, and even Attorney Bazbaz had initially stated that he believed Lizette was responsible for her daughter's disappearance. Despite the bizarre circumstances, he was ready to end the investigation with an explanation that did not convince anyone.
On April 3, Lizette began an amparo proceeding against the house arrest order, claiming that she had no involvement in her daughter's disappearance or death. Around the same time, specialists held a press conference and publicly stated that they had analyzed Lizette's actions throughout the ordeal and concluded that she suffered from some kind of personality disorder. Legal psychiatric expert Sandra Yadeum commented on this, saying:
"We have a lawyer in front of us - intelligent, daring, astute. She has always remained distant in matters of affection and emotional attachment. She has lied. In short, there are characteristics that speak of a mental disorder."
Many found this easy to believe due to Lizette's lack of emotions and her failure to cry or react after Paulette's disappearance. Her strange comments, such as "Even if I lose Paulette, I still have another daughter," added to the suspicion surrounding her.
Lizette and Mauricio accused each other publicly of Paulette's murder on May 5. In interviews with Televisa, Mauricio expressed his disbelief in the official version of events leading to his daughter's death and could not defend his wife's innocence.
Lizette, on the other hand, cried in her interview and claimed that the authorities had manipulated Mauricio to believe she had killed their daughter.
The seriousness of the couple's issues became evident when Mauricio did not attend Paulette's funeral on April 6, where her elder sister and paternal family were also absent. Paulette was laid to rest in a white coffin wrapped in white roses at the French Pantheon of San JoaquÃn in Mexico City.
The Botched Investigation into Paulette’s Disappearance
The Grave of Paulette Gebara Farah
The investigation into the disappearance and death of Paulette Gebara Farah was marred with controversies. Investigators failed to properly secure the crime scene, allowing people to contaminate the area, and a friend of Paulette's mother was allowed to stay in the room where the body was found.
When the body was found, a video showed forensic experts making comments that seemed premeditated, and the cause of death was changed from violence to accidental suffocation.
It was later revealed that Paulette's parents had blamed each other from the beginning and that the Attorney General had close ties with Paulette's father.
The investigation was poorly handled, and the truth about Paulette's death remains unclear.
What do you think really happened to Paulette Gebara Farah? Let us know in the comments.
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