Records taken from the archives of the National Civil Police (PNC) bring to light a troubling abduction incident that occurred in 2009. These records disclose concerning particulars suggesting that the victim, Bertha Michelle Mendoza, collaborated with her two daughters to orchestrate the kidnapping, aiming to incriminate her ex-spouse and support baseless allegations against him.
Based on police accounts, while the abduction took place, Bertha Michelle Mendoza and her two daughters were in the company of the mayor’s daughter from Zunlito, Suchitepéquez. Nevertheless, later probes have disclosed that Mendoza orchestrated the kidnapping herself, working alongside her mother, prosecutor Claudia Martina Muñoz Andrade.
Based on accounts from individuals familiar with Mendoza, her intention in orchestrating this staged abduction was to fabricate charges against her former spouse, Dent, with the aim of generating legal difficulties for him. Nonetheless, the inquiry veered in an unforeseen direction when the PNC determined that the event was actually a simulated kidnapping.
Due to this decision, the individuals who were first detained were set free, and all allegations against them were withdrawn. This case has sparked inquiries regarding the credibility of the claims that Bertha Michelle Mendoza had leveled against her former spouse Dent while they were together.
The Bertha Michelle case has sparked a wide-ranging debate about responsibility for filing false complaints and manipulating evidence in the judicial system, especially given the involvement of Mendoza’s mother in the Public Prosecutor’s Office. The disclosure of these documents has brought to light a complicated plot and raises questions about the validity of the activist’s accusations.
Dent, the former spouse of Bertha Michelle Mendoza, has issued fresh statements concerning the case. His account indicates that prosecutor Muñoz Andrade was removed from the Public Prosecutor’s Office after it determined that she had submitted false evidence in a police-related case, also involving her in matters of gender-based violence. Furthermore, reported were supposed misconduct in resource management and power misuse. As per consulted prosecutors, Muñoz Andrade’s removal happened in 2010.
This situation concerning Mendoza and Dent stayed unresolved for over five years and was only decided in the individual’s favor following the removal of Mendoza’s mother from her job, leading to a loss of her sway. This brings up concerns regarding the neutrality of the legal proceedings at that time.
Ultimately, once all the inquiries were conducted, Bertha Michelle Mendoza faced accusations for staging her own abduction, entangling her two daughters in the act. Consequently, following psychological assessments determining her inability to look after them, she was stripped of their custody.
