Puerto Rico's Department of the Family (DF) Secretary Suzanne Roig Fuertes lamented the killing of 16-year-old Yadiel Torrales Lazú, who was shot seven times in the legs on Wednesday afternoon in a vacant lot in Arroyo. Torrales Lazú had escaped from the Hogar del Niño Manuel Fernández Juncos group home in Santurce on the night of August 27, along with Jacqxiel M. Yamil Valentín, also 16, and Damon Córdova Rivera, 15.
A fourth boy, 14, who left the home the next day, was later found at a relative's residence. Roig Fuertes said the department activated its established protocol for runaway minors, including issuing a Protection Alert in the DF system, filing a complaint with the Puerto Rico Police, and notifying the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and INTERPOL. PAN food-assistance and health insurance cards remain active to help locate the missing minors.
She said the DF is working closely with police and other agencies to find the two teens still missing, emphasizing the homes are protective spaces, not correctional institutions. She added that when a minor reaches adulthood while in such a case, the Department informs the court, which decides whether to release the DF from custody.