Ten weeks after twin earthquakes struck Venezuela on June 24, Antonella Molina and her nephew Pedro Gomez are still searching for 18-year-old Andrés Molina, who vanished after the disaster. Relatives recovered the bodies of his mother and brother from a collapsed 10-story building in La Guaira, while neighbors report seeing Andrés scavenging for scrap and feeding cats. Distrust of government counts and limited official support have led families to mount their own searches, posting flyers and canvassing neighborhoods. Despite repeated false leads and family tensions, Antonella vows to continue until she finds him.
Ten Weeks After Venezuela Quakes, Family Presses On in Search for Missing Teen
Man holding flyer speaks to people in vehicle
CARACAS, Venezuela — Ten weeks after two devastating, back-to-back earthquakes struck on June 24, Antonella Molina and her nephew Pedro Gomez continue an urgent and determined search for 18-year-old Andrés Molina, who has not been heard from since the disaster.
Antonella and relatives recovered the bodies of Andrés' mother and brother from the rubble of a 10-story apartment building that collapsed in La Guaira, the coastal municipality just north of Caracas that was among the hardest hit. The building once housed more than 30 residents, but there was no sign of Andrés or even his trademark backpack.
Neighbors and people in the area have told the family they saw Andrés wandering the wreckage, gathering scrap metal and offering food to cats — a detail that resonates with the family’s recollections of his fondness for animals. Those reports, and a police sighting that came shortly before a renewed search, have kept the family hopeful.
people and dog stand in front of destroyed building
"There are a lot of things that give us hope," Antonella said. "And one of those is love."
Official figures — roughly 6,500 dead and about 1,500 missing, according to the government — have been questioned by residents and independent counts on the ground, which list tens of thousands as missing. Distrust of official statistics and limited government support have driven many families to organize grassroots searches, plastering flyers across neighborhoods and canvassing hospitals, shelters and morgues.
In the days after the quakes, witnesses said Andrés appeared to have a head injury. The family has called shelters and morgues and followed dozens of leads, many of them false alarms: sightings at a golf course, in parks and at restaurants that proved to be cases of mistaken identity. Flyers are often found damaged or torn through his photograph, which has led Antonella to wonder whether he might not want to be found.
On one afternoon, about 15 friends and relatives walked the streets of La Guaira amid ongoing debris removal, showing Andrés' photo and asking residents and construction crews for information. Small moments of potential hope — a tip that he was seen collecting scrap metal, a neighbor recalling his image — have been offset by repeated dead ends.
Teams conduct debris removal work on a collapsed building after an earthquake in Caracas, Venezuela, on June 25, 2026.
Family dynamics have added complications. A long-running rift between Andrés' parents kept relatives apart for years, though his father has joined in the search. Pedro, who lives about six hours away in Anzoategui, had been in WhatsApp contact with his cousin but never met him in person; he says he wants Andrés to know he is not alone.
Antonella describes the physical and emotional toll of the searches: anger, helplessness, sadness and despair, but also an unyielding resolve. "I have to continue until I find my nephew," she said.
The family and their supporters plan to keep canvassing La Guaira and nearby areas, following any credible lead in hopes of finding Andrés or learning what happened to him in the chaotic aftermath of the quakes.
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