After 14 months of uncertainty following her disappearance in Bogotá, 16-year-old Ayelén Sofía Páez Oliveros was identified by Medicina Legal after her remains were discovered in a rural area of Sopó, Cundinamarca, leaving investigators with two active criminal lines and unanswered questions regarding her final movements.
The confirmation brings a tragic end to an extensive search that began when the teenager left her home on August 9, 2025, to run a quick errand. Family members received confirmation from forensic authorities and legal representatives during the October 2026 holiday weekend after a passerby stumbled upon the body in Cundinamarca and alerted local law enforcement.
Reconstructing the Final Movements in Bogotá
Before vanishing, Ayelén was preparing for her Saber 11 examinations, which she was scheduled to take the day after she disappeared from the Chapinero locality near Calle 67 and Carrera Séptima. Investigators subsequently pieced together a timeline showing her moving through the city during the early morning hours of August 10, 2025. Valentina Páez, her sister, described her in September 2025 as a studious, dedicated, and loving girl whose main focus at the time was the Saber 11 test.
Security camera footage captured the teenager walking alone along Avenida Primero de Mayo around 3:30 a.m. Her mother noted that the recordings showed her moving at a normal pace without any visible companion. Additional security clips later placed her passing through the Rubí neighborhood in the Kennedy locality, where a taxista also noticed her presence before she disappeared entirely from public view.
She was with us all day, we had breakfast, we had lunch. She was studying all day for the Icfes. Simply, at one point she went out to buy something at the store and didn’t come back. She didn’t show up for the Icfes,
Claudia Oliveros told La Kalle.
⚠️ Se cumplen dos semanas en las que no se sabe nada de Ayelén Sofía Páez Oliveros, una joven de 16 años que desapareció en Bogotá justo antes de presentar el Icfes. Jennifer Rodríguez le cuenta los detalles en el video.🎬 Realización: Jerson Cruz. pic.twitter.com/FQw4L3dSNC
During the intense search efforts in 2025, an international dimension was added when Interpol issued a yellow notice to extend the search across borders. Meanwhile, specialized teams from the National Police and the Army conducted extensive sweeps covering more than 30 kilometers between the Tunjuelo and Bogotá rivers. Within the capital, the case also drew attention inside the Bogotá City Council, where local lawmakers publicly called on authorities to accelerate the investigation and questioned the institutional protocols regarding missing minors.
Dual Investigations Across Zipaquirá and Bogotá
Legal representatives for the family confirmed that authorities are coordinating two distinct prosecutorial tracks. The case involves an active investigation into forced disappearance handled by a central-level unit in Bogotá alongside a separate homicide inquiry managed through the prosecutor’s office in Zipaquirá.
Attorneys representing the family are pressing to unify the two files into a single, cohesive proceeding. Daniel Solarte, speaking on behalf of the victims’ representation, emphasized that the discovery of the remains does not close the case, while Jimmy Erazo, another attorney representing the family, noted that investigative details remain under strict judicial reservation due to the involvement of a minor.
Investigators Seek Who Wiped the Teenager's Phone
Significant questions remain regarding the teenager’s digital footprint. According to statements provided by the victim’s representation, her mobile phone was eventually located in the department of Sucre, completely formatted, while several online accounts and passwords had been altered after she went missing.
The individual currently possessing the device told investigators it arrived as a gift from the child of a woman resident in that department, who lives in Bogotá. Legal representatives point out that investigators have yet to establish who wiped the phone, who accessed her accounts, or whether those digital changes connect directly to her death. Pending the results of a second expert forensic evaluation from Medicina Legal to provide stronger scientific backing, the family continues to urge authorities to examine every hypothesis thoroughly before drawing final conclusions.