Is the investigation into the disappearance of Brianna Genao still open?

Santo Domingo. — Investigations into the disappearance of the girlBrianna Genao, has not been closed and that from the first moment The corresponding protocols were activated, in coordination with the Public Ministry and the Central Directorate of Criminal Investigations (Dicrim), stated the Minister of the Interior and Police.

Faride Raful explained that the The minor’s family notified the disappearance to the National Police around 8:00 p.m. on the day of the incident, and that since then interrogations, surveys and exhaustive investigations have been carried out.

“From the first day, assistance was provided. The National Police showed up and, together with the Public Ministry, has been working tirelessly. We cannot act lightly; evidence and findings are needed to link criminal responsibilities,” he highlighted.

Also read: INTERPOL issues yellow alert for the disappearance of Brianna Genao

The official also ruled out that andn Dominican Republic there is an organized network dedicated to the organ traffickingqualifying this hypothesis as incompatible with the medical, logistical and technological complexity that this type of crime requires.

“Talking about organ trafficking implies a highly specialized structure, with doctors, compatibilities, surgical rooms and a preservation chain. “In the Dominican Republic there is no evidence of an organized mafia dedicated to that,” He stated on the Hoy Mismo Program.

The disappearance of boys and girls in the Dominican Republic, with special attention to the case of Brianna Genaohas generated deep social concern and strong questioning of the State’s response capacity.

Raful called for handling cases of missing persons responsibly, without minimizing their seriousness, but avoiding hasty conclusions that could hinder the investigative processes.

“Cases of missing persons must be handled with great responsibility. Each case has its particularity and not all of them respond to the same pattern,” said the official.

Figures and patterns in common among missing people

The Minister of the Interior and Police indicated that only in the month of January were approximately 25 missing persons reportsmost of them teenagers, and only three cases remain unlocated by the National Police.

He explained that many of these cases are related to family conflicts, domestic violence or the misuse of social networks and digital platforms.

“We have alarming situations of girls who have been contacted by adults through games and digital platforms like Roblox, and move between communities without their parents knowing. That puts their lives at risk,” he warned.

He remembered that It is no longer necessary to wait 72 hours to report a disappearanceand that the 911 video surveillance system and monitoring tools allow an immediate reaction.

Read also: Faride Raful affirms “No one is above the law” in the Santiago shooting case

Crime and homicides

Regarding crime, the minister defended the methodology used by the State to measure the homicide rate, ensuring that it is more accurate and transparent than in previous years.

Raful reported that the country closed the year 2025 with a preliminary homicide rate of 8.2 per 100,000 inhabitantsthe lowest recorded in decades.

“We are at historically low levels. In 2024 we closed with 9.6 and in 2023 with 11.2. There is a sustained reduction that is not fortuitous, but the result of public policies,” he explained.

The official recalled that between 2014 and 2016 the country recorded accumulated rates that exceeded double digits, even reaching figures close to 24 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants.

The work of the Task Force

Faride Raful attributed much of the improvement to the creation of the Citizen Security Task Forceheaded by the President of the Republic and made up of the Interior and Police, the National Police, the Public Ministry, the Ministry of Defense, the DNCD, Immigration and provincial prosecutors.

“Before there were territories where the police commander did not speak with the Public Ministry. Today there is an integrated work chain that allows crime to be prevented and prosecuted,” he said.

In addition, he highlighted the unification of criteria between the Police, Inacif, the Attorney General’s Office and Public Health to avoid discrepancies in the statistics of homicides, suicides and violent deaths.

What are “Life Points”?

The minister acknowledged that, although femicides have decreased compared to previous years, Every murdered woman represents an irreparable tragedy.

“When a woman is murdered, an entire family is cut off,” he said.

Raful highlighted the implementation of the program “Life Points”a preventive strategy that allows women at risk to go to public and private establishments previously identified and trained to activate immediate protection protocols.

“The idea is that a woman does not necessarily have to go to a prosecutor’s office or a detachment where she does not trust. She can go to a pharmacy, a supermarket or a public institution identified as Punto Vida,” she explained.

He indicated that the protocol was developed with the support of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and in coordination with the Ministry of Women, the Attorney General’s Office and the Specialized Directorate for Attention to Gender Violence.

Traffic is a public safety problem

Raful stated that traffic is today one of the biggest challenges for citizen safety, especially due to the high number of accidents involving motorcycles.

“75% of accidents occur on motorcycles,” he noted.

He explained that the Road Task Force meets weekly to analyze statistics and apply targeted operations, especially against clandestine racing and calibrationpractices that put innocent lives at risk.

“It’s not just the one who runs who dies; children, families and even police officers die,” he warned.

Illegal weapons and microtrafficking

Finally, the minister reported that in 2024 They seized more than 4,000 illegal weaponswhile so far this year more than 400 have already been seized, many of which have been destroyed.

“The majority of homicides are committed with illegal weapons. That is why we are attacking organized crime and micro-trafficking head-on,” he said.