Oscar Isidro spoke to his mom every day. So when the 25-year-old didn鈥檛 call or answer his phone on Jan. 12, she knew something was wrong.
He had been distraught over his sister鈥檚 recent detainment by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Ana said.
鈥淗e was under a lot of pressure,鈥� Ana told 四虎影院 in Spanish. 鈥淗e didn鈥檛 know what to do to help his sister.鈥�
Rubiana Isidro was detained at her annual check-in at the Dallas ICE Field Office on Jan. 9. She was under the impression that she was signing her parole for asylum but never came out, Ana said.
Oscar, a U.S. citizen, was already suffering from a 鈥渉ard depression鈥� after his father was deported to Peru last year 鈥� and the trauma resurfaced when his sister, also a Peruvian national, was taken into ICE custody.
鈥淭hey were very close. It was his first Christmas without his father here with him," Ana said.
On a Friday afternoon, his mother Ana, sat on a couch in the apartment where her son lived; his belongings remained untouched. As she spoke with 四虎影院, she pressed her son鈥檚 red jacket to her heart. It has the word 鈥淧eru鈥� in the back 鈥� his favorite, she said.
The last time Ana spoke to Oscar was on Jan. 11. The next day, he went missing. And two weeks later, on Jan. 26, his body was found in the suburb of Balch Springs, approximately 15 miles away from his Northeast Dallas home.
鈥淚t hits twice as hard because of the death of my son and my daughter in ICE custody,鈥� Ana said.
The apartment complex told Ana and her husband, Ernesto, that Isidro had last been seen at 4:30 a.m. on Jan. 12 when he left for work; he took the bus there early each morning. His employer confirmed to the family that he had been at work, but Ana said he never returned home.
The Dallas Medical Examiner has ruled the death as suicide, but Ana said she still has lots of questions.
鈥淚, as a mother, know my son,鈥� Ana said. 鈥淚n his 25 years of life, he never grabbed a gun. I know it wasn鈥檛 suicide.鈥�
She said Dallas Police have not provided her with information since her son鈥檚 disappearance. Balch Springs Police told 四虎影院 that because the death was determined to be a suicide, 鈥渢here is no separate criminal investigation being conducted.鈥�
For two weeks, family, friends and others had shared Isidro鈥檚 photo in hopes of finding him. Alfonso Solis, who has led various search and rescue efforts in North Texas, got connected to the family via social media.
鈥淭his was at the beginning of when it was starting to get cold, so we didn't have a lot of time," Solis said.
He got the word out to the areas of Balch Springs, Pleasant Grove and Mesquite, because he knew Isidro had some contacts there. He called warming stations throughout north Texas and interviewed the family in hopes of finding answers.
A social media scam targeting a vulnerable population
As the family waited to receive any word from their son, they began to receive threatening messages on social media and WhatsApp from a person claiming to have taken their son hostage.
The alleged scammers sent an AI-generated video of Isidro waving his hand. The phone number had a country code of 52 from Mexico. Solis said things didn鈥檛 add up.
鈥淚t looked very realistic,鈥� he said. 鈥淚'm like, this is too clean, you know. I expect to see wrinkles and dirt. If you're looking like you just came out of the cleaners, there's something wrong with that.鈥�
Solis helped the family dispel the scam before they sent out any money. He said the scammer was 鈥減laying off of their emotions鈥� 鈥� and using a common tactic targeting immigrants.
"They want compensation for your pain,鈥� Solis said. 鈥淚n the last three years that I've been doing this, I myself have received phone calls. I have spoken to these people. They pretend to be cartel or what not.鈥�
Ana said the messages mentioned the names of her three other daughters. She remains 鈥渢errified鈥� to leave her home.
Plea for daughter鈥檚 humanitarian release
As the family prepares for Isidro鈥檚 funeral this Friday, they are hoping their daughter Rubiana, who has been in the U.S. for the last four years, will be granted permission to attend. 四虎影院 has reached out to ICE for a statement about Rubiana Isidro鈥檚 detainment and is waiting for a response.
Ana said she fears what would happen to her daughter if she was to be deported to Peru. Her father has since moved to another country.
"She doesn't have brothers or family in Peru,鈥� she said. 鈥淗er father isn鈥檛 there and I am here. She doesn鈥檛 have anyone there. We are all here."
The money the family was gathering to hire an attorney for Rubiana is now being used for her brother Oscar鈥檚 funeral. A sibling has organized a fundraiser to help cover the costs.
The family is asking for help from the Peruvian Consulate and are trying different resources to have Rubiana released.
They are also hoping an elected official will intervene and help them with Rubiana鈥檚 release.
鈥淪he is suffering alone in detention,鈥� Ana said. 鈥淪he doesn鈥檛 have me with her to tell her everything is going to be okay or give her a hug. She鈥檚 going through this process alone.鈥�
Priscilla Rice is 四虎影院鈥檚 communities reporter. Got a tip? Email her at price@kera.org.
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