A four-year-old disabled Mexican girl vanished out of the blue and was later discovered dead in a mysterious manner. On March 22, 2010, in the Mexican municipality of Huixquilucan de Degollado, a girl named Paulette Gebara Farah went missing from her bedroom. But how did it all happen? What does the history say?

Who Is Paulette Gebara Farah?

On July 20, 2005, Paulette Farah was born in Huixquilucan, State of Mexico, to Mauricio Gebara and Lizette Farah. She was not, however, born like any other baby.

Photo of Paulette Farah

Paulette was born at 25 weeks of pregnancy, weighing only 800 grams (1.7 pounds), with a height of 35 cm (1.1 foot). The little child was born with a range of difficulties that hindered her from developing properly, such as motor deficiencies and linguistic deficits.

She needed special care and attention every day, as well as many trips to the pediatrician, pricey prescription drugs, and therapy sessions.

Thus, Paulette had two nannies, Erika and Martha Casimiro, who took care of her all day and night to lessen the burden on her parents. In the wake of her disappearance, Arlette Farah, Paulette’s aunt, took to social media in a desperate effort to find her, sharing photos and pleading for any information that could lead to her whereabouts.

It’s worth mentioning that, Paulette was limited, yet she consistently performed better than anyone expected. Paulette did not suffer from any sort of intellectual limitation, despite her difficulties moving her body and speaking, and she never allowed anything to stop her.

Now the question is despite all these securities, her smartness, how everything went wrong? How Paulette Farah went missing and suddenly, found dead one day?

The History Behind Paulette’s Death

With Paulette’s mother being an attorney and her father being a real estate agent, the family seemed as leading a comfortable and successful life.

However, Sunday, March 21, 2010, was a completely different day in their lives.

The disappearance of Paulette Gebara Farah and the mysterious circumstances of Paulette leaving her family’s home in Mexico City became a pivotal moment. Paulette, her sister Lizette, and her father Mauricio came home after a weekend trip to Valle de Bravo on March 21, 2010, at approximately nine o’clock in the evening.

When they got to the family’s Huixquilucan home, located in the outskirts of Mexico City, Paulette was put immediately to bed by Erika, one of her nannies. Lizette, Paulette’s mother, returned from vacation to Los Cabos with her friend Amanda on the same day as her family.

At that point, Paulette was dressed in her pajamas and prepared for bed when Lizette arrived to tuck her in and bid her a good night kiss. She said to had seen her daughter alive for the last time at that point.

Nanny Ericka claimed to have gone into the room to wake her at 8 the following morning, but after entering, she found no one on the bed.

Paulette’s bedroom was on the second floor of the two-story apartment and the only way of entrance was a window. Yet, the nanny noticed, that the window was with no damage. Overall, there were no traces of forced entry, theft, or struggle inside the house.

The window of the apartment

Despite Paulette’s parents’ room residing next door, they claimed not to have heard anything. Moreover, Paulette Gebara Farah couldn’t leave the room by herself as she was physically challenged

The fact that they had two dogs but no one heard them bark.

Now Paulette’s case started becoming more confusing and mysterious after hearing such statements.

The Real ‘Culprit’ of Paulette’s Death?

The Attorney General of the State of Mexico, Alberto Bazbaz, was promptly contacted. Almost immediately after the girl’s missing was reported to the Huixquilucan authorities.

A major hunt for the young child began and the incident caused a media frenzy in Mexico. Complete with billboards being put up, and commercials being displayed on TV and in public spaces.

Questions about Paulette’s parents soon spread when the whole neighborhood got together to seek the 4-year-old baby.

Watch this video to get an idea about this case.

Lizette Farah, mother of Paulette Farah, being interviewed

Indeed, a week later, on March 29, Mr. Bazbaz shocked the country by declaring that Paulette’s parents and nannies got into custody by the police as a result of fabrications and conflicts in their statements.

He reportedly stated at the time, according to local accounts: “It has been challenging to discover the truth of the matter and establish a clear course of investigation because each of them at some point has fabricated their answers.”

Bazbaz further stated, according to CNN, that detectives started to suspect the girl’s mother, Lizette Farah, as a result of secret recordings of her talks with her husband. The involvement of Amanda de la Rosa, who stayed in Paulette’s room for several days, raised additional questions about the investigation’s integrity and the living arrangements in the family home.

It was the nannies who had looked through the building’s floors looking for the girl, not Paulette’s parents who had looked everywhere for her. Nor was it the nannies who reached the police—Mauricio’s sister had called the emergency number after hearing a call from her brother.

Everything was coming into the light. The couple was also experiencing financial difficulties. Their union was also failing. Lizette had spent the weekend drinking and partying in Los Cabos after traveling there to meet her lover.

The married pair soon turned against one another. Mauricio claimed that Paulette’s abduction was caused by Lizette and the nannies. This while Lizette claimed that Mauricio had arranged everything.

According to the statements of the parents and the nannies, police had looked for Paulette everywhere except their home.

How Paulette Farah Was Discovered Dead?

On March 31, detectives convened at the family apartment to piece together Paulette’s disappearance and look for hints.

At that moment, they started to notice an unusual smell coming from the pile of blankets, and that’s when they made the tragic discovery of Paulette’s body at the foot of Paulette Gebara’s bed, marking the unfortunate moment when paulette died.

Paulette appeared to have fallen to the foot of the bed when she unintentionally lost her balance and became trapped between the mattress and the footboard. She eventually died of suffocation. At the time, Paulette Gebara’s autopsy indicated that Paulette’s cause of death was “asphyxiation that obstructed the respiratory airways and compressed the abdominal thorax.”

Paulette’s bed

Also, as per the San Diego Union-Tribune, there were no indications of physical abuse. That or the presence of narcotics or poisonous chemicals in her body. Bazbaz also thought that Paulette’s body wasn’t moved. The little girl was in the same position when she passed away as she was when police discovered her.

The investigation into Paulette’s disappearance and the subsequent discovery of her body in her own bedroom after a prolonged search drew widespread attention, sparking controversy and suspicion towards her family’s involvement.

When the tragedy came to the spot, Paulette’s parents reportedly turned against one another. Both parents blaming one another for their daughter’s tragic outcome, according to the LA Times.

The couple acknowledged that their marriage had begun to fail even before the accident, and they went their ways.

Attorney General Bazbaz thought Mrs. Farah was the culprit and suspected foul play, but he didn’t have enough proof to file an arrest.

The public had also witnessed the picture of a distant mother who had most likely “disposed” of her disabled child to gain her freedom. Ultimately, she was heard stating, “Even if I lose Paulette, I still have another daughter’’.

Why Does the Paulette Case Remain Controversial?

The public received several views of the Paulette case which have made the case controversial.

Before Paulette was discovered, Lizette was doing a TV interview when someone observed her pajamas on the bed. She was wearing the same pajamas when police found Paulette. The similarity seemed unsettling even if the girl might have owned numerous pairs of the same pajamas.

Also, it was surprising how everyone missed Paulette for a full nine days. At one point, the cops even brought in search dogs to find the little girl.

According to the BBC, over 100 individuals came across her room looking for her. Even more troubling, according to a story by the Union-Tribune, friends, and family had spent a long time in her room throughout that time but no one noticed anything.

It has become a belief that both the family of Paulette and the police ignored the case. Overall, the stories coming from the family or the police didn’t satisfy the public. There were several conflicting explanations, and there was obvious political corruption in the case.

Paulette’s father came from a well-known family. Many people thought that the government was hiding the facts to preserve her father because her grandfather was close to Enrique Pena Nieto, the governor at the time.

Also, during the time of Paulette’s case, Bazbaz was close to Enrique Peña Nieto. He is the governor of the State of Mexico. Even after his poor handling of the case, these connections allowed Bazbaz to maintain some noteworthy positions of authority.

Bazbaz faced allegations in 2019 that he was a member of a conspiracy that monitored nearly 300 politicians. All these allegations questioned his decision regarding the following case; nevertheless, later remained unproven.

Alberto Bazbaz, the attorney who handled the case of Paulette’s death

Overall, public opinion was mostly against Lizette, the mother of Paulette Gebara, for a long time. But two years after the accident, she admitted that the police had been threatening her all along. She also claimed that she once had a gun placed on her head.

Unfortunately, to this day, the death of Paulette Gebara Farah is seen as an accident. Yet there is still much debate surrounding this case. Even Netflix came up with a show called ‘Crime Diaries: The Search’. The series was released in 2020 based on the mysterious death of Paulette Farah.