Parents of fisherman killed in US strike: ‘We need answers from Trump’
Carmela Medina and Alejandro Carranza say will not accept their son is dead until they have proof — even after their government said he had been ‘murdered’
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Diego Andrés Quintero Hurtado, Santa Marta |
Andrea Blanco
, New York
Friday October 24 2025, 6.01pm BST, The Times
Alejandro Carranza, allegedly killed in a US strike
The family of a Colombian fisherman said to have been killed in an American strike in the Caribbean say they have yet to be contacted by the White House and will not accept that he is dead until they see his remains.
Alejandro Carranza’s parents have lived in a state of anxiety since Gustavo Petro, the Colombian president, said on X last week that their son had died in a strike ordered by the Trump administration.
Petro called Carranza, 40, a “humble fisherman” and accused President Trump of murdering him. In response, Trump, who has ordered a number of strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean, said Petro had been an “illegal drug dealer”.
Alejandro Carranza
Trump has justified the military strikes in the Caribbean by saying the targets were boats carrying drugs to the US. Thirty-two people have been killed in the strikes, according to The New York Times. Critics have accused the Trump administration of carrying out extrajudicial executions.
In Los Cardonales de Gaira, a village near the city of Santa Marta in northern Colombia, Carranza’s family members insisted he was innocent and said they were still holding out hope he was alive.
“[Alejandro] is such a good son. I want answers. He’s been missing for a month already,” Carranza’s mother, Carmela Medina, told The Times from her home. “I want to know where he is. Everybody believes he is dead, but I have a feeling he is alive. A mother’s heart knows.”
Gustavo Petro condemned the attack as a violation of Colombian sovereignty and called it an “assassination”
Carranza was last seen on Sunday, September 14, when he told his mother he planned to go fishing. He often spent days at sea, so the family did not find it unusual when he did not immediately return.
Lizbeth Perez, Carranza’s niece, said: “At the moment, we don’t believe he was the one killed because we haven’t received any proof. The government hasn’t contacted us. We haven’t heard from authorities whether they’ve found a body or not. We won’t believe he is dead until we have proof. If he’s dead, we want them to give us a body.”
Colombian media has reported that Carranza was charged in 2016 with stealing weapons. It has also been reported by local outlets that he committed crimes under the alias “Coroncoro”. His family say the alias was a nickname Carranza was given as a child, in reference to a tropical fish.
Carmela Medina believes her son, the family’s breadwinner, may still be alive
MARCO PERDOMO/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
“He’s a kind, loving person, and the media has tarnished his reputation,” Perez said. “All the reports about him being a criminal are false. He is no drug dealer and we want the world to know that.”
Perez said Carranza had learnt the fishing trade from his father, adding that the family were struggling financially because he had been their main source of income.
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A wooden table in the family’s backyard where Medina scaled the fish her son brought home now lies empty. Perez said: “We’re missing the fish. He brought food to the table. We are overwhelmed by the amount of media that has come here and then reports wrong things about my uncle.”
Carranza’s name made headlines after Petro shared news of his alleged death and demanded answers from the US government on X. “The Colombian boat was drifting and had a distress signal on because one engine was raised,” Petro wrote.
Alejandro Carranza Sr
MARCO PERDOMO/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Trump snapped back by threatening tariffs and subsidy cuts, which diplomatic experts have said would be disastrous for many industries in Colombia. Petro dismissed the threat of tariffs as “nothing” but said that military aid cuts would cause problems.
Last month, the US decertified Colombia as a drug control partner, accusing the Petro administration of doing too little to curb drug production. On Thursday, Trump called Petro a thug and Colombia a “drug den run by cartels”.
Meanwhile, Carranza’s family say they want answers either from the White House or Petro. “We are tired of speaking out,” Perez said. “We just want to hear from the government.”
US