She told them they were about to meet God. Five children were among those who followed her into the mountains and never came back out.
More than 20 people, including five children, disappeared in August 2022 after following a woman named Rosa García into Venezuela's Andes mountains for what she described as a spiritual encounter with the Virgin Mary.
A Promised Encounter
García, 57, is reported to have persuaded as many as 40 people from the town of La Grita, in Venezuela's Táchira state, to join her on a trip into Juan Pablo Peñaloza National Park on August 22, 2022. She reportedly told the group they would experience a spiritual encounter with God or the Virgin Mary at an undisclosed location within the park, describing it as a four-day journey and telling participants to bring food and camping equipment.
Increasingly Unusual Instructions
According to neighbors and relatives who spoke to local media, some members of the group left partway through the trip after García began behaving erratically, instructing followers that they could no longer worship the local Holy Christ of La Grita, that they weren't to look the Virgin Mary in the eyes if she appeared, and that they should discard their cellphones.
No Contact Since
Families reported no contact with the group after August 22, with officials estimating between 16 and 20 people remained unaccounted for, including nine members of a single family. Authorities said the group had been traveling in two vehicles.
A Large-Scale Search
Roughly 160 members of Venezuelan law enforcement and search-and-rescue teams, along with drones and search dogs, searched the mountainous terrain for the missing group. Investigators located an abandoned farm where some group members had discarded clothing, offering a partial trail but no resolution.
Frequently Asked Questions
Were the missing people from La Grita ever found?
Public reporting on the case's ultimate resolution has been limited; readers should check current Venezuelan news sources for the most up-to-date information on the case's outcome.
Why did the group follow Rosa García into the mountains?
She reportedly told them she could arrange a spiritual encounter with God or the Virgin Mary and that the trip was necessary given what she described as an impending end of the world.
How many children were among the missing?
Five children were reported among the more than 20 people who went missing.