"Baby taken by Argentina's dictatorship reunited with family decades later"

Reunited After 50 Years: Man Discovers His True Identity Amid Argentina’s Dark Past

A man separated from his mother shortly after birth during Argentina’s military regime has been reunited with his family nearly five decades later.

The 49-year-old, whose name has not been released to protect his privacy, was identified through a DNA test. He is the 140th individual located by the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo, an organization dedicated to finding the descendants of those killed or forcibly disappeared during Argentina’s political repression from 1976 to 1983.

The man’s parents, Graciela Alicia Romero and Raul Eugenio Metz, were taken by military forces on 16 December 1976 in Cutral Có, Neuquén Province, and never seen again. Romero, five months pregnant at the time, was held captive until giving birth and then killed.

Following the 1976 coup, Argentina’s military regime systematically eliminated perceived opposition, leading to the deaths or disappearances of approximately 30,000 civilians. Pregnant detainees were allowed to give birth before being executed, and at least 500 infants were seized and placed with military families.

Reunited with his sister, Adriana Metz, the man learned she had been just a toddler when their parents were taken. Metz, raised by her grandparents, spent years hoping her brother might still be alive, though their grandmother passed away in 1992 without meeting him.

At a press conference in Buenos Aires, Metz shared that her brother had grown up believing he was an only child. She described their reunion as a turning point for their family.

“From now on, everything is a victory for the Metz-Romero family,” she said.

“We are grateful to the Grandmothers for showing us that this search is a shared mission and that we must continue for the 300 grandchildren still missing,” Metz added.

Estela de Carlotto, 94, president of the Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo, stated: “With the recovery of the 140th grandchild, we reaffirm that these individuals are among us—and through decades of persistence, more will be found. This effort cannot be done alone.”

The organization estimates hundreds of people, now between 45 and 49 years old, may unknowingly have been taken as infants and could be living anywhere in the world.

While some forced adoptions were uncovered by 1983, widespread efforts began only in 2021 when Argentina distributed DNA testing kits to embassies globally to identify victims and locate the missing children of the disappeared—many unaware of their true origins.