A Mother’s Heartbreaking Story: How a Tattoo Helped Identify Her Son After Venezuela’s Earthquakes

A Tattoo That Told the Truth

Oswadeliz Núñez remembers arguing with her son Daniel when he was 24 because he got a tattoo. About four years later, that tattoo helped her identify Daniel’s body after he died in the twin earthquakes that devastated Venezuela last month.

Daniel’s Last Day in Venezuela

Daniel had just arrived back in Venezuela on the day of the disaster. He had been sent back (deported) from the United States.

• From La Guaira, he called his mom using the phone of a Venezuelan intelligence officer (SEBIN is like a secret police agency).
• He told his mom: “No, Mom, we’re here with SEBIN officers.”
• He said he and other deportees had eaten, had medical checkups, and were going to sleep at a hotel in Macuto (in La Guaira).
• The plan was to finish paperwork the next day and then travel almost 7 hours to El Tigre to see his mom.

Important: That reunion never happened. About 40 minutes after his last call, the earth shook and the hotel collapsed, trapping people under the debris.

The Earthquake’s Wider Impact

• It is not yet clear how many of Daniel’s fellow deportees died with him; unconfirmed reports say maybe up to 12.
• Across the whole country, thousands of people died and thousands more lost their homes.

The Deportation Flight Details

The flight carrying Daniel left Miami and landed at 10:22 a.m. local time at Simón Bolívar International Airport in Venezuela on the Wednesday the earthquakes hit.

According to Venezuelan authorities and ICE Flight Monitor (a project by Human Rights First that tracks deportation flights):

• There were 146 people on board:
  • 120 men
  • 19 women
  • 7 children
• Venezuela’s “Vuelta a la Patria” (meaning “Return to the Homeland”) mission announced Flight 164 arrived “with dignity” and under “all necessary protocols” for a happy reunion.
• But that reunion was very short-lived.

A Mother’s Search

After the earthquakes, Oswadeliz tried to contact officials but got no useful information. So she went to La Guaira with friends and family and searched by themselves.

Steps they took:

1. They slept only 2–3 hours at a time and kept looking.
2. They entered hospitals with 8, 9, or 10 floors and checked every room.
3. They searched clinics and morgues (places where dead bodies are kept).
4. On Monday, she returned to the disaster site believing Daniel was still under the rubble.
5. Officials sent her to a port turned into an emergency morgue where many bodies were taken after the quake.
6. She found a body with the number she was given — it was Daniel.

Important: “When we went to retrieve my son’s body, there was complete chaos. Bodies were lying on the floor,” she said.

Daniel’s face was crushed and bones were visible. Her nephew cleaned Daniel’s left arm and they saw his tattoo.

• She said: “When he got that tattoo, I argued with him. But now I thank God he got it, because that’s practically how I was able to recognize him.”

Bureaucracy and Burial

Even after finding him, she faced paperwork and rules while grieving.

• Officials said cremation (burning the body) and burial would be free but she’d wait 10–30 days.
• She could not wait, so she paid a private crematorium $680 to do it faster.
• She said: “We couldn’t afford to stay there any longer, spending more money and time. We’re not from La Guaira.”
• After getting his ashes, she went home on Wednesday. “Not the way I wanted, with my son alive — but at least I have his ashes.”

She is thankful she found him because many others are still searching.

Note: CNN asked Venezuela’s Ministry of Communication and the Vuelta a la Patria program for comment and is waiting for a reply.

Daniel’s Life in the US and Deportation

Daniel came to the US in 2022 after crossing from Mexico and started asking for asylum (legal protection for people fleeing danger).

• On May 10, ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement — the agency that handles immigration arrests) detained him on his way home from a construction job.
• His mom says Daniel had already decided to return to Venezuela by end of the year because migrant persecution felt intense.
• ICE said his detention was for missing a 2024 court date after a ticket for driving without a valid license.
• Daniel said he paid the fine but didn’t know he had to go to court; he had moved and thinks the notice went to his old address.

Court records reviewed by CNN show:

• No criminal record beyond traffic violations (no license, speeding).
• In 2026, a warrant in another county appeared, linked to the license case.
• On June 9, a judge dismissed the license charge and fined him for missing court.
• Because his asylum case was open, ICE kept him in custody.

His mom says at the detention center they pressured him to self-deport (choose to leave). He signed papers thinking he’d be in Venezuela in 5 days, but it took 15. He arrived on the 24th — the day of the earthquakes.

What US Officials Said

A US Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told CNN:

• The flight arrived without incident.
• All undocumented people on board were returned to their country.
• Once a person leaves ICE custody, ICE is no longer responsible for them.

A Mother’s Fight for Justice

Oswadeliz is a lawyer. She says her fight continues.

• She speaks out on social media.
• She plans more legal study to seek justice for Daniel’s death.
• She wants the Venezuelan government to be transparent with grieving families.
• She wants safe, efficient, humane protocols for deportees with no criminal records.
• She wishes they could be released immediately instead of held in bureaucracy.

Important: “They are not sacks of potatoes. They are human beings,” she said. “All I ask God is that these deaths not go unpunished, because my son was not a criminal.”

Summary

Daniel Núñez was deported from the US to Venezuela and died in the earthquakes shortly after arrival. His mom found his body using his tattoo after a days-long search. She faced chaos, delays, and private costs to bury him. She now demands transparency and better treatment for deportees and says her son was not a criminal.

FAQ

1. What is a deportation?
It means a government sends a person who is not a citizen back to their home country.

2. What is SEBIN?
SEBIN is Venezuela’s intelligence service, like a secret police agency.

3. How did Daniel’s mom know it was him?
His face was too damaged to recognize, but his tattoo on his left arm matched.

4. Did Daniel have a criminal record?
No. CNN found only traffic violations like driving without a license and speeding.

5. What does his mom want now?
She wants the government to be open with families, treat deportees humanely, and not let his death be forgotten.