"I say goodbye with a broken heart; each passing day increases our pain. I only cry out for humanity. We are not asking for privileges, I only ask that they give us back the peace of mind of knowing that Joel is alive, healthy, and has the opportunity to defend himself."
This is how Evelin concluded her letter addressed to the Attorney General of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, days after her son Joel Bravo Quiaro disappeared.
Joel served as an official in the Criminal Investigations Division of the Bolivarian National Police (PNB). Despite it being his day off, he was called in by his immediate superior, Commissioner Peña, to report to the base on Lecuna Avenue in Caracas.