Natalia: five profiles, a killer State

Natalia: five profiles, a murderous State. The case of Natalia Melman, the teenager who disappeared.February 3, 2001. A 15-year-old student leaves two bars in Mar del Plata and never returns. Five distinct genetic profiles will appear on her body. The same police officers who led the search were her murderers. A forensic investigation reveals an institutional cover-up so systematic that it took 22 years to achieve definitive sentences.In this episode, we explore the impossible contradictions that define this homicide: how Natalia's body was found 800 meters from an area that the police claimed to have thoroughly searched, why a fifth DNA profile remains unidentified decades later, and how the Argentine State murdered one of its citizens and directed its own investigation. From the prohibition of disseminating images to post-mortem cut nails and a police van repainted white, every detail exposes a perfect crime that was not so perfect.Victim: Natalia Melman Date: February 3, 2001 Location: Mar del Plata, Argentina Status: Multiple convictions; one unidentified fifth suspect - Five distinct genetic profiles on the body, but none of the culprits acknowledged their actions or apologized. - The body was found exactly 800 meters from the area that the police claimed to have meticulously combed for days. - Sergeant Ricardo Panadero remained active in the police force for seven years after his DNA matched 97 percent with forensic evidence. - A law reduced El Gallo's sentence from 19 years to 4 years, while the three police officers received reductions that sparked Saturday marches for years. Natalia Melman, Mar del Plata 2001, murder, corrupt police, DNA, institutional cover-up, forensic investigation, imperfect crime, Argentine justice, criminal minds, homicide, unsolved mystery, true crime Spanish If you want to listen to this podcast without ads and gain access to premium episodes, we invite you to try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and associated materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use in whole or in part is prohibited without prior written authorization from OBOMEDIA. For permissions, licenses, and business inquiries, write to: [email protected] listen ad-free and access premium episodes, start your 14-day free trial at obomedia.comOBOMEDIA presents true crime storiesa true crime podcast built on real cases.Every true crime story in our crime files follows the crime investigation from the missing person report to the trial: investigators and police building a murder case, a police investigation gone cold, justice for the victim and those who survived.We open the unsolved murder, the cold case reopened decades later, the mysterious death, the disappearance, the serial killer, the family murder, the murder mystery; the missing persons  a missing woman, a missing girl, a missing man found dead and the missing and murdered.From the infamous case to the unsolved case, from classic true crime to dark true crime and disturbing true crime: true crime reports, real crime stories, real murder cases, true murder stories and unsolved mysteries one true crime case at a time, from the OBOMEDIA true crime vault.© 2026 Created with OBOMEDIA technology. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text and related materials) are the property of their respective creator and are distributed under the OBOMEDIA name on platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and Pocket Casts. Reproduction, distribution, editing or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission is prohibited. For permissions, licensing and business inquirie