ABC’s “Foreign Correspondent” takes viewers to Colombia this week, embedding with a CSI squad on a grim but vital mission: to locate the remains of over 100,000 people who vanished during the country’s decades-long armed conflict. Reporter Natashya Gutierrez joins the team as they work to bring closure to the families left behind, a task that blends forensic science with a profound sense of human empathy.
Colombia’s history is scarred by over half a century of conflict between leftist guerrillas, right-wing paramilitary groups, and drug cartels, all contributing to a climate of violence and a staggering number of disappearances. The current government has made finding the missing a priority, a complex undertaking that requires both cutting-edge technology and painstaking fieldwork.
Gutierrez’s report takes us to the heart of this effort, visiting dig sites where the search for remains is underway. We also meet the criminal forensic team, who utilize advanced techniques to reconstruct faces from skeletal remains, a blend of science and artistry that can offer a glimmer of hope to grieving families.
The episode also features a chilling encounter with a former paramilitary soldier, forcibly recruited as a teenager, who confesses to his role in assassinations and murders.
“Foreign Correspondent” airs this Tuesday, 29 April at 8:00 PM on ABC Australia and ABC iview.
