The body of Rafael Antonio Rodríguez Ibarra, ‘Rafita’, the 16-year-old minor found lifeless in a dam in the Gardeno subdivision after being swept away by storm water, was handed over to his family yesterday after the legal autopsy that was performed on Sunday morning.
His family (father, grandmother, aunts and cousin) organized the funeral services to say goodbye to the teenager, a third-semester student at Conalep II, from the moment he appeared after the rescue work of the firemen. The funeral is taking place at the Ríos Chapel, located on Centeno and Papaya streets, in the El Granjero neighborhood, since yesterday at 7:00 p.m. Rafael Antonio Rodríguez Ibarra was a teenager who studied high school in the Infonavit Ampliación Aeropuerto neighborhood. On August 30, when he left school for the evening shift, he encountered heavy rains that covered Tapioca Street with a dangerous current, according to the newspaper archive. When he tried to cross it to get to his house, he slipped and was swept away by the current to a dike between Paseo de la Victoria Avenue and Via Natura Street. After his body was recovered at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, September 1, the day of his 16th birthday, he was taken to the facilities of the Directorate of Forensic Sciences and Expert Services, where it was ordered that his legal autopsy be given priority and then his body be handed over to his family so that they could give him the farewell services and celebration of his life. “Rafita” was described as a tough, protective, “cheeky” boy, but also very happy, joking and homely.
They mourn him in private
Yesterday afternoon, in a private ceremony, the body of ‘Rafita’ was laid to rest at the Ríos funeral home, where family, friends and schoolmates arrived, as well as families who did not know the Conalep II student and who lament the tragedy that the Rodríguez Ibarra family is facing.
“He was my son’s classmate and we came here to be with the family,” said a father who expressed his condolences to the minor’s aunt and family. Until last night it was known that ‘Rafa’ would be kept in state all night and today Tuesday a funeral mass will be held to later say goodbye to him and finally he will be cremated. Dozens of teenagers gathered at the chapel, which was packed. Some people donated water and others bought bread and some disposables to get through the sad evening. The family asked for respect from the media representatives, who were not allowed access, as they wanted to have an intimate service. The Rios funeral home provided the free service as a gesture of solidarity towards the student’s family, while the State Commission for Attention to Victims expedited the process for the delivery of the body and that the wake would be held on Monday night, as was the wish of the mourners.
There is sadness in the classrooms
A day of mourning, a difficult day for the students of room 314 of Conalep II.
Amid tears, sobs and hugs, the classmates of Rafael Antonio Rodriguez Ibarra, 16, found dead on Sunday morning, placed an altar where he took his last day of class on Friday afternoon. Shortly after 7:00 p.m. the school opened its doors so that students could leave safely, but the storm that hit several parts of the city and flooded several streets, including Tapioca, was merciless. ‘Rafa’ was swept away by the current and this Monday his friends and classmates and staff said goodbye to him, highlighting some who, although they did not know him, will remember him forever. Director Javier Montes reported that it will be today at 10:00 in the morning when his classmates and he personally will say goodbye to ‘Rafita’. The teachers of the school also expressed their affliction for the tragic death. “That night we did not realize what happened. “Due to the rain we were sending the students away and we stayed here until 10:00 at night waiting for the last of the students to leave; there were four left and we had to take two of them to their homes because they did not come for them,” explained one of the teachers. It was only later that they realized the incident, when they learned that the teenager could not be located and the firefighters were working on the search for the student.
#Rafita #hero #Conalep #bid #farewell
