A desperate search continues in Barcelona for a young Colombian mother and her baby boy, missing for over a week. Family and friends of Maria Paula Molina Hernández (23) and her 23-month-old son, Seitka Layne Molina Hernández, are urgently appealing for public help. The pair disappeared from the Gràcia neighbourhood on Thursday, 12 February.

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Posters featuring images of the mother and child now alert residents and visitors across the district to their disappearance. These notices, headlined with the plea “¡Ayúdanos a encontrarlos!” (“Help us find them!”), state the pair was last seen in the Travessera de Gràcia area. No one has had contact with them since.

Details Released in Public Appeal

To aid the search, the family has released detailed physical descriptions. Maria Paula Molina Hernández is approximately 1.55 metres (about 5 ft 1 in) tall, with light brown hair and coffee-coloured eyes. Her son, Seitka, just under two years old, measures around 87 centimetres (about 2 ft 10 in) and shares his mother’s light brown hair and coffee-coloured eyes.

The campaign to find them is gaining traction, as community members widely share the appeal on social media. The posters urge anyone who may have seen the pair or possesses any information, no matter how insignificant it might seem, to come forward. The public should contact the Catalan police force, the Mossos d’Esquadra, or call the general emergency services number 112 with any relevant information.

A Concerning Week of Disappearances

Maria Paula and her son’s disappearance comes during a distressing week for Barcelona, which has seen several other missing persons cases end tragically. Local news outlet Metrópoli Abierta first reported that authorities have been handling multiple cases across the city.

On Thursday, 19 February, police found the body of 14-year-old Sophie, who went missing in the Carmel district on her way to school. The Mossos d’Esquadra confirmed the discovery, with initial reports suggesting suicide.

In a separate case, authorities also discovered the body of Gladis Faustina, a 75-year-old woman. She had been reported missing on 14 February from the Nou Barris district. Police noted she might have been disorientated at the time of her disappearance.

While authorities do not believe these cases are connected, they underscore the urgency behind the search for Maria Paula and her young son. With each passing day, concern for their welfare grows. Their family remains hopeful that a public tip will help bring them home safely. The Mossos d’Esquadra investigation is ongoing.

Source: Metrópoli Abierta