What Happened
Relatives of people who disappeared during Panama’s military dictatorship are pressing the Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences (Imelcf) to clarify the identity of bone remains recovered during past excavations. Members of the Committee of Relatives of Disappeared Victims (Cofadepa-HG) say the remains are crucial evidence for the Public Prosecutor’s Office to establish responsibility for disappearances and deaths from the dictatorship era.
Background
The remains in question are stored in roughly 35 boxes containing bone fragments recovered during excavation work carried out by the Truth Commission after the 1989 United States invasion, and in later digs such as those done in 2002 at sites including the former Los Pumas de Tocumen barracks and Coiba Island. Some remains identified so far include Cecilio Hazelwood, Reinaldo Sánchez Tenas, Jerónimo Díaz, Heliodoro Portugal and Gerardo Olivares. Families and advocates continue to seek identification of additional remains believed to be linked to victims of the 1968–1989 military regime.
Challenges and Next Steps
Relatives note that the material has been exposed to the elements for many years, complicating DNA extraction. In 2025, a team of Colombian anthropologists reviewed the remains at Imelcf to establish a possible work plan for DNA testing, but relatives and specialists say further specialized equipment and financial resources are required to complete the tests and compare results with samples from family members.
In December 2024 the Public Prosecutor’s Office ordered the reopening of the case of Father Héctor Gallego, who disappeared in June 1971 in Veraguas. An inspection at the National Institute of Agriculture (INA) followed after information about a possible body there, but no remains linked to Gallego were found during that search. The reopening was triggered after a complaint filed with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR).
What This Means
For families, scientific identification is a step toward truth, accountability and potential legal action by the Public Prosecutor’s Office. Relatives and committees such as the Héctor Gallego Committee for the Disappeared in Panama have also sought reparations from the state, which have not yet been implemented. Some high-profile disappearances remain unresolved: for example, labor leader Floyd Britton is presumed by some witnesses to have been held on Coiba Island, but his body has not been recovered.
Relatives, advocates and forensic teams are urging continued investment in forensic capacity, formalization of testing plans and coordination between Imelcf, prosecutors and international specialists so that recovered remains can be identified and families can obtain closure and, where appropriate, pursue justice.