A dark cloud settled over Maldonado this past Tuesday. A 13-year-old girl named Luna lost her life. Her father, a retired Army colonel, took her life. He then turned the weapon on himself, dying shortly after.
This tragic event was not the first time Luna had sought help. Back in 2023, she had reported her father to INAU, the national children’s welfare agency. She spoke of domestic violence at home. As a result, a court placed protective measures on the father. These rules were supposed to last until May of this year.
Luna’s family story was already complex. Her father brought her from Uganda in 2015. She lived with him and his wife, who was her adoptive mother. After the court orders were put in place, something changed. Luna told her lawyer that she wanted to reconnect with her father and her adoptive mother. This wish played a part in the ending of the protective measures.
Claudia Romero, the president of INAU, spoke to reporters about Luna’s case on Wednesday. She explained Luna’s first contact with INAU was in November 2022. At that time, Luna was living with her father and adoptive mother in Salto. One day, Luna ran away from home. She went straight to an INAU office to ask for help.
“There was a history of domestic violence in her home,” Romero said. The agency took Luna in. She stayed in an INAU home in Salto for a while. In September 2023, Luna left the INAU home. She moved with her family to Maldonado.
But the violence seemed to follow. Romero explained that while out on a walk, Luna visited an INAU home in Maldonado. She reported “an episode of violence from the gentleman,” meaning her father. In Maldonado, Luna stayed in touch with INAU homes. She eventually lost contact with her adoptive mother. At this point, an aunt stepped forward and asked for custody of Luna.
That’s when Luna’s father and adoptive mother reappeared. They began a court case to get custody of the young girl back. This legal fight is what brought the case before a judge. Protective measures were placed on the father then. These measures stayed in place until May of this year.
The situation grew complicated in late May. When INAU brought Luna to a hearing, she said she did not want to reconnect with her father. But then, when she was with her lawyer, she said something different. She told her lawyer she did want to reconnect with him. “That’s when this change in Luna’s attitude happened,” Romero explained.
Romero added that Luna’s true wish wasn’t to fully reconnect. Instead, she wanted to take part in some family activities. She couldn’t do this because of the protective measures. So, the court made a decision. They did not lift the measures in May as planned. They extended them for another month, until June 24. This extension was to give INAU time to set up how the family would reconnect.
Time passed in this process. Then, this past Tuesday, August 19, the father arrived at a center. Luna was there, seeing a speech therapist. The father told her to leave with him. Luna said she wanted to wait for her adoptive mother. The man left and came back with a gun. He shot her several times. Luna died right there. Moments later, the father shot himself in the head. He died while doctors tried to save him.