A woman has been acquitted of staging a fake pregnancy, falsifying documents and holding a fake funeral with a doll inside the coffin.
Duvier Alexander Morales was told by his ex-girlfriend Tahira Edilka Montero that he was the father of a baby daughter two years ago.
He was left heartbroken when he was informed that the infant had died shortly after birth.
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However, he later discovered that the dead child in the coffin was a doll, leading him to believe the pregnancy was also fake.
Duvier filed a complaint with the authorities in December 2023.
Montero stated that the baby was born in Panama City, Panama, on 10 October 2023, and passed away in intensive care three days later.
However, due to protests and road closures in the country, the body could not be transferred to Duvier’s hometown of Bugaba until 14 December with the funeral planned for the following day.
Upon inspecting the coffin, Duvier’s mother noticed that the deceased’s gloves and shoes did not appear like those of a real baby.
The paternal family then realised the coffin allegedly contained a dressed doll and not a baby’s corpse.
The doll’s face had allegedly been painted to appear more human.
Duvier said: “They told us that my baby died shortly after birth.
“They played with our feelings.”
He also claimed that he was prevented from attending any of the post-mortem discussions taking place prior to the funeral.
The family asked to see the baby’s birth certificate at the hospital, but were unable to find any evidence from their records.
The case has gripped the country since first hitting the headlines in 2023.
Nearly two years later, the defendant has been acquitted of all charges after the court concluded that there was insufficient evidence for a conviction.
The full reasons for the acquittal will be announced to the public on 5 December, with the whole country said to be waiting with bated breath.
For Duvier’s family, the ruling was an emotional blow that left them without any real answers.
Prosecutors had demanded a 136-month prison term, arguing that the defendant had faked the pregnancy, presented falsified documents, and organised the fake funeral.
They showed that there were no records of the birth or any subsequent hospital care, and that Duvier had been presented with several fabricated documents.
Despite being described as cold and distant during the trial, medical experts confirmed that the defendant did not suffer from any mental health issues.
Meanwhile, Duvier and his legal team are evaluating whether to launch an appeal.
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