Girl, 4, Missing for Over a Week, Found Dead in Her Bed
In 2010, Mexico was shaken by a case that remains one of its most haunting and perplexing mysteries — the disappearance and death of four-year-old Paulette Gebara Farah. What began as a desperate search for a missing child quickly spiraled into one of the most controversial investigations in the country’s history.
On the night of March 21, 2010, Paulette returned to her family’s apartment in Huixquilucan, State of Mexico, after a weekend trip with her father and older sister. Her mother, Lizette Farah, tucked both girls into bed as usual. Paulette, who had a developmental condition affecting her speech and mobility, needed special care and constant attention.
The next morning, a nanny named Erika went to wake Paulette — but the little girl was gone. Her bed was empty, and there were no signs of disturbance. Doors and windows remained locked, and surveillance cameras in the gated community showed no suspicious activity. The idea that Paulette had wandered away on her own was nearly impossible, leaving her family and authorities facing a terrifying mystery.
Within hours, the home became the center of a large-scale search operation. Police, volunteers, and rescue teams scoured the area with dogs and drones, while television and newspapers broadcast emotional appeals for information. Paulette’s mother appeared on live TV, pleading for her daughter’s safe return. Posters, flyers, and media alerts spread across the country as the story captured national attention.
But as days passed with no trace of the girl, attention shifted from outside the apartment to those living within it. On March 28, investigators placed Paulette’s parents — Lizette Farah and Mauricio Gebara — along with two nannies under legal restriction for giving conflicting testimonies. Officials publicly acknowledged inconsistencies in their accounts, further deepening the mystery.
The following day, investigators returned to the apartment to reconstruct the night Paulette disappeared. The case, now under intense public scrutiny, was beginning to expose contradictions that hinted something was terribly amiss. What authorities found next would leave Mexico in disbelief.