Natalia Samaniego came into the world on December 27, 1993, in Resistencia, a city in Argentina’s Chaco province. She grew up in a close-knit family with her parents, Ramón Rogelio Samaniego and Teresa Gamara, and her two older siblings, Germán and Lorena. Her mother, a lawyer in Chaco’s judicial system, worked hard to support the family despite limited financial means.
When Natalia Samaniego was young, her family made a significant move to Posadas, Misiones. This relocation aimed to provide better educational and career opportunities for the family. For years, life remained stable, but as Natalia entered her teenage years, new challenges began to emerge.
Challenges and a Life-Changing Diagnosis
At the age of 17, Natalia Samaniego faced the first of several psychological struggles. Experiencing anxiety and concentration issues, she eventually suffered a psychotic episode, leading to a diagnosis of schizophrenia. This marked a turning point; Natalia’s education was paused so she could focus on treatment.
Around the same time, her parents divorced, adding another layer of complexity. She moved in with her father, Ramón, back in Resistencia to continue her treatment. The neurological therapy proved beneficial, and soon she returned to her mother’s home, where she began to rebuild her life with the support of her family. Her brother Germán had already moved to Buenos Aires for a job with the prefecture, while Natalia Samaniego resumed her studies and even started university. However, her medication made academic life challenging, and she ultimately left school to work in cosmetics sales.
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Meeting Juan Carleris
In 2015, Natalia Samaniego met Juan Carleris, a quiet 22-year-old tattoo artist from Puerto Tirol, Chaco. Bonded by their shared interest in soccer, the two quickly grew close, beginning a relationship that initially brought joy to Natalia’s life. However, her family and friends soon noticed changes in her personality. Juan’s behavior became concerning, marked by jealousy and occasional aggression. His intense fascination with occult practices and possessive tendencies raised red flags. He constantly demanded to know Natalia’s whereabouts, leaving her with little privacy.
Despite her family’s warnings, Natalia Samaniego was deeply in love and hopeful that Juan’s behavior might change. She eventually moved in with him, hoping that proximity would ease their differences. However, the challenges only escalated, with frequent arguments casting a shadow over their relationship. Natalia fell into a depressive state, occasionally staying away for days. Yet each time, Juan would persuade her to return.
As Natalia’s relationship with Juan continued, her family grew increasingly concerned. Teresa, her mother, noticed bruises on Natalia’s arms and forehead, which Natalia dismissed as accidental. Her mother suspected a darker reality, urging her daughter to reconsider her choices. Natalia Samaniego confided that she was considering ending the relationship and even filing a complaint for domestic violence. Before she could take any concrete steps, Juan’s mother suggested they relocate to Resistencia, offering a chance for Juan to join the Chaco Forever football club.
The move provided a temporary respite. Despite the distance, Juan frequently reached out to Natalia Samaniego, professing his love and promising to change if she returned. Natalia initially ignored his calls, but when Juan threatened self-harm, she relented, giving him another chance by mid-2016.
Attempts at a Fresh Start
For the next two years, Natalia and Juan maintained a long-distance relationship. Though she assured her family that things had improved, her mother often overheard heated phone arguments. In mid-2018, Juan proposed that they live together again, and Natalia Samaniego reluctantly agreed, joining him in a modest apartment on Santa Catalina Avenue.
She secured a job at a sandwich shop on Ayacucho Street, while Teresa provided a refrigerator as a housewarming gift. On September 1, Natalia visited her mother to pick up the receipt for the appliance, expressing her love and gratitude. Everything seemed calm, and Natalia Samaniego appeared optimistic about the new chapter.
In the days following that visit, Teresa heard nothing from her daughter. Calls and messages went unanswered, leaving her increasingly anxious. On September 9, Juan finally sent a message to Teresa, assuring her that they would visit for a family barbecue that evening. Though relieved to hear from him, Teresa found it strange that Juan, rather than Natalia Samaniego, was the one reaching out. She prepared a meal, eager to see her daughter again.
However, the couple never arrived. As the evening wore on, Teresa and her other daughter attempted to reach them, but their calls went unanswered. Eventually, Juan messaged, apologizing for their absence, explaining that they had accidentally fallen asleep. Understanding the effects of Natalia’s medication, Teresa accepted the excuse, but a sense of unease lingered.
Teresa’s worries continued to grow as the days passed. Natalia’s once promising future, marked by dreams of education and independence, seemed overshadowed by a challenging relationship that caused her family endless concern. Teresa’s hopes for Natalia’s well-being now rest on her daughter’s courage to break free from Juan’s influence and return to a life where she can heal and thrive.
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An Ominous Discovery
On September 10, 2018, around 7:30 PM, a neighbor in the apartment building where Natalia Samaniego lived with Juan Carleris noticed a disturbing smell coming from one of the units. Approaching the window, he caught a shocking sight—a swarm of flies around a bare foot. Alarmed, he immediately contacted the police.
Upon arrival, the police found the apartment locked from within. After obtaining permission from a judge to force entry, they uncovered a grim scene. Inside, Juan was unconscious, surrounded by pill bottles and empty alcohol containers, suggesting an apparent overdose. Paramedics were called in, successfully reviving him and transporting him to the hospital.
As officers investigated further, they were led to the refrigerator, its door tied shut with a sheet—the very one Natalia Samaniego’s mother had gifted her. Inside, they found Natalia’s body, wrapped in a blanket and in an advanced state of decomposition, indicating she had been dead for at least five days. Initial assessments revealed no clear signs of violence, so her body was sent to the morgue for a complete autopsy.
During their search, investigators stumbled upon a letter that would send chills through the case. The note, seemingly addressed to Satan, read: “Lord Lucifer, Great Master of Darkness, I offer my soul in exchange for you taking my girlfriend’s body without leaving evidence that I killed her. Grant me enough money for the month, and I will be your loyal follower.” The letter was signed with blood initials, “J.M.C.”—Juan’s initials.
Authorities considered the note a potential ploy by Juan to feign insanity or, alternatively, an indication that he had attempted some form of satanic ritual. Natalia’s family members began to reveal troubling details about Juan’s personality, recalling his controlling and often aggressive behavior. Teresa, Natalia Samaniego’s mother, shared how he had once threatened self-harm if Natalia left him, though she never imagined he could turn violent.
Growing Suspicion
Natalia’s friends hesitated to speak openly about the bruises they had noticed on her arms and forehead in the past. Meanwhile, a neighbor who returned from a trip on September 9 reported the terrible smell permeating the entire floor and soon traced it to Juan and Natalia Samaniego’s apartment. She admitted knowing little about the couple, who seemed quiet and kept to themselves.
As the investigation gained attention, Judge Marcelo Cardoso, who had taken charge of the case, held a press conference to address public concerns. He confirmed that Natalia Samaniego had likely been dead for over a week, with further forensic results pending. Judge Cardoso stated that, given the letter, authorities classified it as a homicide, although the specifics were still under review. He also mentioned the suspicion that Juan had attempted suicide, pending verification.
On September 12, the autopsy report was completed. Due to the advanced decomposition, examination proved challenging, yet experts determined the cause of death to be asphyxiation by manual strangulation, with no evidence of any external injuries or tools used. The timeline suggested Natalia Samaniego had died roughly within days of moving in with Juan, implying a possible premeditation on his part.
Juan, now stable in the hospital, was under close observation. It remained uncertain whether his overdose had been a genuine suicide attempt or a failed attempt to escape justice. Teresa, devastated but determined, pressed law enforcement to take swift action in arresting him. She voiced her confidence in Argentina’s justice system, though she expressed frustration with misleading media reports.
The media had mistakenly framed the incident as a suicide pact, citing Juan’s letter as evidence. This narrative deeply disturbed Natalia’s father, Ramón, who publicly condemned the portrayal. He emphasized that his daughter had no ties to occult practices and was a devout Catholic, making it inconceivable that she would engage in anything related to devil worship. Natalia’s schizophrenia diagnosis had no bearing on her faith or moral character, he insisted, fighting to preserve his daughter’s memory.
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Remembering Natalia
As the family awaits justice, they remember Natalia Samaniego as a kind and loving soul, someone undeserving of such a tragic end. They hope that her story serves as a reminder of the devastating consequences of toxic relationships and the importance of seeking help before it’s too late.
Days after Natalia’s tragic death, family and friends gathered at La Piedad Cemetery for her funeral. Her brother traveled from Buenos Aires to pay his respects, personally shoveling dirt onto her coffin. Overcome with grief, Ramón vowed to pursue justice until Natalia’s killer was held accountable.
Legal Proceedings and Juan’s Arrest
After his discharge from the hospital, Juan was arrested and brought to court on September 13. He remained silent, choosing not to testify the following day. On September 17, the court formally charged him with aggravated homicide due to his relationship with Natalia Samaniego, ordering pretrial detention and mandating a psychiatric evaluation to assess his mental state. Juan’s defense argued his history of overdoses as grounds for mental health examination before trial.
During their investigation, authorities discovered unsettling activity on Juan’s social media. On September 8, he had been active on Facebook, sharing an episode of Moe’s Tavern and old-fashioned candy photos, possibly while Natalia’s body lay in the apartment.
With Juan repeatedly refusing to testify, Teresa grew frustrated and took steps to become a formal complainant in her daughter’s case. She publicly asserted that Juan was fully aware of his actions, describing how he had messaged her from Natalia Samaniego’s phone, pretending they would visit for dinner while her body was hidden in the refrigerator. She portrayed him as a remorseless and dangerous individual, even recounting his casual demeanor and indifferent greeting toward her at a hearing.
To rally community support, the family launched a Facebook page, “Justice for Natalia,” just two weeks after her passing. On October 13, they organized a demonstration outside Resistencia Cathedral to mark 34 days since Natalia Samaniego’s death, demanding progress in the case. Ramón reiterated his commitment to justice, vowing to continue protesting until Natalia’s killer was behind bars.
Establishing a Legacy to Combat Femicide
On October 24, Ramón met with Eduardo Colombo, the head of Legal Entity and Public Registry of Commerce, to discuss forming an organization in Natalia’s honor, aimed at combating femicide and supporting victims’ families. Colombo agreed, and by April 2019, the foundation was formally established. On May 8, Chaco’s provincial legislature passed Micaela Law, mandating gender and anti-violence training for public servants, and named it “Natalia Samaniego Law” within the province.
Despite these achievements, Ramón and Teresa continued advocating for victims of gender violence, participating in protests and providing assistance to other grieving families. While their activism gained traction, Natalia’s case remained unresolved. Over a year of investigation later, handwriting analysis confirmed Juan as the author of the letter found at the crime scene, and psychiatric evaluations determined he had no mental disorders, proving he was fully aware of his actions.
On July 31, 2020, Judge Cardoso concluded the investigation, charging Juan with aggravated homicide for his relationship with Natalia Samaniego and gender-based violence. With this formal charge, Juan now faced the prospect of life imprisonment. Finally, in 2021—over three years after Natalia’s death—the trial began in Posadas. In a swift and decisive verdict, three judges unanimously sentenced Juan to life imprisonment on December 21, 2021. Since the verdict was issued in Misiones, Juan was to serve his sentence in a Posadas penitentiary.
A Somber Victory and the Road Ahead
Ramón expressed a bittersweet sense of relief with the sentence, calling it a significant victory for women in Chaco and commending Teresa’s steadfast dedication to ensuring justice was served. Yet, he acknowledged the lasting pain that would accompany their loss. Ramón now leads the foundation in Natalia’s memory, offering support and resources to families impacted by femicide.
Though the journey has been marked by heartache, Ramón remains resolute, striving to prevent others from experiencing similar suffering. As for Juan, he remains incarcerated, never having offered any explanation for Natalia’s death. His silence serves as a stark reminder of the manipulation and abuse that marked Natalia’s life and endures even in her absence.
