Panama Woman Acquitted in Fake Baby Case. Affected Man Speaks Out About Injustice
The formal reading of the sentence was set for December 5th.
Unanimously, the judges of the Chiriquí Trial Court acquitted Tahira Edilka Montero, the woman accused of orchestrating the “fake baby” scheme. The judges determined that the controversial case did not have solid evidence to convict the woman. Relatives of the young man who believed he had lost a daughter who never existed feel a heavy blow: frustration, anger and a feeling of emptiness, after placing their hope in a process that, for them, ends without justice.
A Trial That Seemed to be Leaning Towards a Conviction
Until just a few hours ago, the atmosphere inside the room pointed in another direction. The prosecution had requested 136 months in prison, more than 11 years, claiming that the woman was responsible for a chain of lies that included faking a pregnancy, presenting false birth and death certificates, and staging a “funeral” where, inside a coffin, the family found a doll instead of a baby. During the trial, medical experts confirmed that the accused had no psychiatric disorders or mental conditions that would prevent her from facing the process. Witnesses reported that his behavior was ” cold and distant ,” something that, for many, contrasted sharply with the seriousness of the case. Everything pointed to a conviction……that is until the verdict took an unexpected turn.
The Story That Left the Whole Country Breathless
The case began when, at a funeral in Bugaba, the grandmother asked to see the supposed deceased baby for the first time. Upon opening the white coffin, dressed with childlike tenderness, she discovered that what lay inside was a doll. Not a body. Not a baby. It was a doll with pink gloves and cotton balls in its nose. That image went viral and revealed a harsh truth: the baby never existed. The prosecution maintained that there were no birth records, that the photos of the alleged medical care were fabrications from 2015, and that neither Santo Tomás Hospital nor any doctor had attended the birth the woman described. The Electoral Tribunal itself denounced the falsification of documents.
What Comes Next?
The country is now on hold, awaiting December 5th to learn the reasoning behind the acquittal. The Public Prosecutor’s Office and the plaintiffs will analyze whether or not to appeal the acquittal. Meanwhile, the affected family tries to understand how a story marked by pain, confusion, and deception ends, for now, without anyone being held responsible.
