Lost in the Jungle (2025)

[bunniefuu]

- [foreboding music playing]

- [birds chirping]

[animals chittering]

[Lesly] When I got to the airstrip,

my mom said,

"Lesly, we're flying to Bogot."

We were going to live with my stepfather.

I didn't want to go.

[baby crying]

[Lesly] I was living

with my grandma, Ftima.

I was going to school.

I was actually very happy there.

[engine roaring]

[Lesly] This was my first time

on an airplane.

It wasn't too long after we took off then.

The plane began making

a lot of strange noises.

- [metal creaking]

- [Lesly] I was getting really scared.

[baby crying]

[indistinct radio chatter]

[Lesly] And then the engine sounded

like it was going to stop.

The pilot called to the control tower.

"We need help."

He couldn't control the plane.

[metal creaking]

[pilot, in English] Mayday!

Mayday! Mayday!

[Lesly, in Spanish] Then, all of a sudden,

we started to fall.

- [baby crying]

- [passengers clamoring]

- [engine sputtering]

- [metal creaking]

[leaves rustling]

[branches snapping]

- [Lesly] That's the last thing I remember.

- [loud crash]

- [rooster crowing]

- [pensive music playing]

[Ftima] At about 08:30 in the morning,

I got a call.

"What happened?"

"Magdalena's plane never arrived.

It must have crashed in the jungle."

My sister Magdalena was on it

with her four children. [grunts]

That's when it hit me.

The sadness.

My other daughters kept calling me,

"Mom, don't worry."

How could I not worry?

When a plane crashes,

no one is spared. Never.

My heart ached.

My daughter left with her kids

and didn't even tell me she was going.

[Manuel] Magdalena had called me.

She said,

"I'm on the plane with the kids."

But they never arrived.

[inhales]

I didn't know what to do.

I couldn't stop thinking about my wife.

My only son.

His life had just begun,

and the thought of losing him...

My baby daughter.

My two stepdaughters.

My dream was for them

to come and live with me in Bogot.

Are they still alive?

Are they dead?

[helicopter blades whirring]

[reporter 1] Today,

a Censa-Doscientos-Seis aircraft

that flew from Araracuara

was swallowed up by the jungle.

[reporter 2] Search efforts have begun

with aircraft and helicopters in the area.

[reporter 3] These works have been seen

to be complicated by the forests' weight.

[reporter 4] The authorities

do not rule out the fact

that the migrants continue to live

in the middle of the jungle.

[melancholic music playing]

- [music concludes]

- [wind howling]

[birds chirping]

[suspenseful music playing]

[baby crying in the distance]

[pensive music playing]

[groans]

[Lesly] When I finally woke up,

we were on the ground.

There was so much blood on my face,

all over my clothes, everywhere.

I was in so much pain.

- I saw Tien.

- [grunts]

[sobs]

[Lesly] Zeleny was crying.

I saw my mom.

[sobs]

[groans]

[Lesly] My leg hurt really bad.

The seat had collapsed

and my shoe was stuck.

[cries]

[Lesly] I needed to get to Cristin.

I could see that she was trapped

under my mom's body.

She couldn't breathe.

So, I slipped my foot

out of my shoe and left it there.

I struggled, but I was able

to get my siblings out of the plane.

I needed to try and stop the bleeding

that was gushing from my head.

I found the first aid kit.

[Cristin continues crying]

[Lesly] Cristin cried and cried.

She was thirsty and hungry.

I searched through the bags...

and found a hammock...

[Young Lesly grunts]

...a mosquito net...

and Cristin's bottle.

I arranged some leaves on the ground...

and we all lay down.

[Cristin crying]

[Lesly] Cristin just wouldn't stop crying.

I wasn't able to sleep.

My head and my leg hurt too much.

[music concludes]

[helicopter blades whirring]

[Sanchez] For five days,

the Colombian Air Force

flew back and forth over the area,

searching for the missing plane,

but we didn't find anything.

Each day that passed greatly reduced

the chances of finding them alive.

The high command called and said,

"Pedro, we need you on this.

It's time to do a ground search."

[tense music playing]

This was my first rescue mission.

We don't often get a chance to save lives.

As Special Forces, our assignments

usually involve fighting guerrilla groups.

[Sanchez] Using the plane's

last verified coordinates

and after calculating

a reasonable margin of error,

we were able to establish a search area

of approximately 320 square kilometers.

The terrain was very dense.

It's an untouched jungle

with trees up to 40 meters tall,

with dangerous animals

and poisonous snakes.

But the greatest risk we faced

was getting lost in the jungle.

[Montiel] The jungle

is like an enormous carpet.

It's like searching for...

a needle in a haystack.

[soldier 1 speaking Spanish]

- [music concludes]

- [animals chittering]

[birds calling]

[Montoya] We moved quickly

to search for the plane,

and hopefully find survivors.

[whispers] Let's advance a little further.

Listen for anything unusual.

Let's go.

We were prepared to encounter the worst.

[brooding music playing]

[Montoya] Narco-guerrilla groups

like the FARC

are known to operate in this area.

[Montiel] We've been at w*r

with them for 60 years.

The FARC at one time, actually controlled

many parts of Colombia.

[Montoya] They commit acts of violence,

drug trafficking, and kidnappings.

In the process of fighting them,

we've lost many soldiers.

We made ourselves as invisible as possible

to go undetected by the enemy.

[reporter 5] Currently,

60 commandos are keeping hope alive

that they will find survivors.

[reporter 6] Manuel Ranoque is living

with the uncertainty of this tragedy.

My four kids and my wife are missing.

I couldn't stand by and wait

for the military to locate the plane.

I'm going to go out there

and search for my family.

I'm not coming back until I find them.

[tense music playing]

[Manuel] I needed to ask for the help

of my indigenous friends

from the Araracuara community.

We know how to navigate the jungle.

We're experts at it.

[Manuel] The jungle is a part of us

because we grew up here.

[Faustino] I volunteered. No questions.

Because those in danger

are a part of our indigenous family.

- [uplifting music playing]

- [ducks squawking]

[Jair] It was a long journey,

about 12 hours by boat

from the nearest town.

No one lives there.

[birds calling, chirping]

[music concludes]

[Jair] We believe that the jungle

finds a way to connect man to nature,

and then through nature, to the creator.

[ethereal music playing]

[Manuel] But the jungle

is also very dangerous.

Certainly because of the things you see,

but especially because of the things

that cannot be seen, not with human eyes.

[thunder rumbling]

[Faustino] As we finally

entered the jungle,

the weather changed drastically.

[raindrops pattering]

[Faustino] It rained and rained.

Our elders believe that when a spirit,

an enchanted being, if you will,

gets angry, it causes a storm.

- [thunder cracking]

- [mystical music playing]

[Faustino] I fell behind my companions.

I called out to them,

but they were nowhere to be found.

I tried retracing my steps three times.

I kept thinking,

"Is a spirit playing with me?"

I was filled with fear. I can't deny it.

I prayed, "Don't get angry,

I'm a child of the jungle.

"I am indigenous.

"I come here not to harm the jungle,

"but to search for what is ours."

[thunder cracking]

[Faustino] And just like that,

my partners reappeared.

We were all starting to get worried.

"How are we going to find the plane

with all this rain?"

[thunder rumbling]

- [suspenseful music playing]

- [animals chittering]

[Montiel] There's no trace

of anything at all.

This went on for days.

We were losing hope of finding the plane.

[Miranda] Every day we searched,

looking through the trees, bushes, vines.

And in every direction you could look,

it was nothing but green.

And then, I saw something that stood out.

- [uplifting music playing]

- [Miranda] It was something pink.

A small baby bottle

in the middle of this immense jungle.

If you think about it,

what are the chances of actually finding,

you know, a small baby bottle like that

in a jungle of this magnitude?

We immediately start to imagine

what could have happened.

Could the bottle have somehow

fallen out of the plane?

- [vultures cawing]

- [birds chirping]

[Faustino] We were mentally prepared

to find the family dead.

Wherever we see the vultures around,

that's where we'll find the plane,

and unfortunately, the bodies.

- We spotted a king vulture.

- [caws]

[pensive music playing]

[Nstor] We decided that we would try

and follow it.

Then we spot the vulture.

He was sitting on top of something.

We could see that it was something... white.

[somber music playing]

[Jair] I got a lump in my throat.

- [somber music continues]

- [flies buzzing]

[Nstor] Mrs. Magdalena was lying there.

Her body was on the seat.

It was terrible.

"How will Manuel take the news?"

- [crickets chirping]

- [indistinct chatter]

[inhales deeply]

I couldn't believe that she was gone,

that she had abandoned me.

[melancholic music playing]

[Manuel] Magdalena was devoted

to the children...

to our home.

We were trying to build a future together.

No matter what,

she would always take me back...

despite my mistakes.

My poor, sweet daughter, Magdalena.

I have nine daughters...

but she was always the most attentive.

If Manuel hadn't called her

to come be with him in Bogot...

she would still be alive today.

I cried tears of rage, of anguish.

I decided to burn all her things.

My daughter is not coming back.

She died with a grudge against me...

because I didn't want her to go.

[Jair] Manuel asked about the children.

I said, "I don't know.

Nothing has been confirmed."

The command informed me

that indigenous searchers

apparently located the plane.

The orders came in,

"Verify it immediately."

[soldier 2 grunts]

[Montiel] We found the bodies

of the adults.

But there was no evidence

that the children didn't survive.

We kept wondering,

"Why aren't they near the plane?"

Just the thought of it, four children,

13, nine, five, and 11 months,

who just lost their mother,

all alone out there in the jungle.

[Montiel] They are essentially

food for the animals.

[suspenseful music playing]

[Lesly] For the first few days,

we thought it best to stay by the plane.

But no one came to rescue us.

I packed two of the bags

with whatever supplies I could find.

[pensive music playing]

[grunts]

[Lesly] I was crying

from all the pain I was in.

I was dragging my leg, crawling.

We were searching for a way out,

out of the jungle.

- [tapir squeaks]

- [Young Lesly groans]

- [dramatic music playing]

- [tapirs squealing]

[Lesly] Along the way,

we ran into a couple of herds of tapirs.

They tried to attack us.

[screeches]

[Lesly] We stood still like statues.

[ocelot growls]

[Lesly] When we saw an ocelot...

I froze with fear.

Tien wanted to chase it.

[Tien] When there were animals,

Lesly protected us.

And I did too.

[ocelots roaring]

[Tien] They would run away

because they were afraid.

[Lesly] I told him to stop.

Grandma taught us

that whenever you're in the jungle,

you shouldn't disturb the animals.

They're dangerous.

- This made Tien so angry.

- [screams]

[Lesly] He asked,

"When is Mom coming to find us?

"She is all alone over there.

Why did we have to come here?"

I tried to explain to him.

"Our mother is dead."

- "No," he said, and he cried.

- [sobs]

- [music concludes]

- [birds calling, chirping]

- [soldiers 3] Lesly!

- [soldiers 4] Lesly!

[soldiers 3] Lesly!

Lesly!

We decided if there are survivors,

we can't stay invisible.

We have to call out to them

and make our presence known.

[soldiers shouting] Lesly!

- It's worth the risk to find them.

- [tense music playing]

What are the chances

of finding these kids alive?

If the impact wasn't too fast,

it's possible for the kids

in the back of the plane to survive.

[soldiers shouting] Lesly!

We hope they left

in search of help and food.

[reporter 7 speaking Japanese]

At this time of year,

there is a scarcity of fruit

making it hard to find food.

[in German] They are probably trying

to find a river

and follow it to a village.

[reporter 8, in English] A hundred

and more Special Forces soldiers

saturate the jungle.

[reporter 9, in Spanish] But the rain

makes the search difficult,

washing away any footprints.

[Alessandro, in English]

Leaving an entire country

holding its breath,

and praying for a breakthrough.

[music concludes]

- [Montiel, in Spanish] A shelter!

- [uplifting music playing]

Another sign of life.

It was a bed made of palm leaves,

cut with small scissors.

It looked like

three or four people slept here.

[Damaris] My niece and I

would always build little shelters

when we were younger.

I've always been close with Lesly.

We're both young girls

and have a lot in common.

[crowd singing in Spanish]

[Damaris]

We both like traditional dancing...

[crowd singing in Spanish]

...and playing soccer.

- [whistle blowing]

- [crowd laughing, chattering]

My niece Lesly is actually very similar

to her mother, my sister.

She's a very hard worker.

But there's a definite difference

between the two.

Her mother didn't like to study,

but Lesly is a very good student.

Lesly has always been a quiet girl,

while Soleiny loves to laugh.

[Yeritza] Lesly is completely devoted

to her little sister Soleiny.

It was always the two of them

who would be out there playing together.

[Damaris] Lesly took very good care

of her siblings,

of Cristin, of Tien,

and that Tien is a real earthquake.

[Yeritza] She's like a mother to them.

But I can't help wondering,

how's Lesly keeping the baby alive

in the jungle with no food?

[ominous music playing]

- [birds chirping]

- [monkeys squeaking, chittering]

[Lesly] There were so many monkeys.

[Soleiny] They were laughing.

The monkeys were teasing us.

- [Young Soleiny giggling]

- [playful music playing]

[monkeys hooting]

[Soleiny] They jumped from tree to tree.

[Young Soleiny giggling]

[Soleiny] They made

the milpesos fruit fall,

and we caught them.

[Lesly] We were so hungry,

so we ate the milpesos fruit.

[Cristin coos]

[Lesly] I made sure to give

the softest ones to Cristin.

[tense music playing]

- [Cristin crying]

- [Lesly] Cristin cried.

She was so thirsty.

[cries hysterically]

[Lesly] I asked Soleiny

to pass me the baby bottle.

She looked all over but couldn't find it.

[Soleiny] It's just that we took

a little rest

and I must have dropped the bottle.

It got lost.

[Lesly] "How could you lose it?

"What do I do now?"

I tried using a bottle cap

to give Cristin

one little sip of water at a time.

- [music concludes]

- [birds chittering]

[Faustino] We asked Manuel,

"Are your kids tough enough

to make it through the forest?"

He said, "No, Tien is lazy.

"He and the younger girl

are not good walkers.

"The kids can't be far."

[Jair] Tien!

Whoo!

Lesly!

- [soldier 5] Whoo! Whoo!

- [indistinct chatter]

Finally, we heard a response.

We were so happy, "We found the kids!"

But it wasn't the kids at all.

It was a Special Forces team,

Destroyer One.

[indistinct chatter]

[Montoya] We knew the indigenous

search team was in the area,

but we didn't know their exact location.

There was a lot of tension

between the two groups.

It was a tricky thing, for sure.

How could we talk to them?

Over the years,

there have been numerous altercations

between indigenous communities

and the military

in the fight against drug trafficking.

- [rooster crowing]

- [upbeat pop song playing over radio]

[Manuel] Our indigenous

communities are poor.

There are no roads.

Many houses lack electricity.

- [brooding music playing]

- We're totally abandoned by the state.

So, narco-guerrillas

control our territory.

Attention!

[Manuel] They have weapons,

so we have to do whatever they tell us to.

Indigenous people end up working

with the guerrilla groups.

They grow coca, transport drugs.

The military can't allow that.

So, that's why we fight the guerrillas.

[distant g*nshots]

[Chman] This includes

the indigenous communities

that the guerrillas have infiltrated.

- [crickets chirping]

- [animals chittering]

[indistinct chatter]

[Chman] That night, they set up camp

quite a distance away from us.

We put security measures in place.

We set traps and stationed sentries.

We made sure to monitor their every move.

We can't leave our weapons laying around.

What if there's

a guerrilla group out there?

[Montoya] We decided that the next day,

it would be best

if we go our separate ways.

[foreboding music playing]

- [birds chirping]

- [animals screeching, chittering]

[flies buzzing]

[Lesly] Little by little,

I tried to see if I could use my leg.

[pensive music playing]

[Lesly] I took some steps,

leaning on a stick

that I had found on the ground.

[Cristin whining]

- [Lesly] It only hurt a little.

- [Cristin cooing]

[Lesly] Thank God

I was able to walk again.

[Ftima, in Spanish, over speakers]

The army is looking for you.

My love, please stay still.

[in the distance]

Please stay in one place.

[Ftima speaking indistinctly

over speaker]

[Lesly, in Spanish]

I heard a voice. It was far away.

It sounded like my grandmother.

[uplifting music playing]

[Ftima speaking in Huitoto over speakers]

Lesly, this is your grandmother Ftima.

I haven't abandoned you.

[Lesly, in Spanish] Is it true?

Is that really her? Is it?

[Sanchez] We made a recording

of their grandmother's voice

in Spanish and in their language, Huitoto,

so the kids would be more trusting.

[Ftima speaking indistinctly

in Huitoto over speakers]

[Lesly, in Spanish]

Are they looking for us?

I didn't believe it.

So, I wanted to keep walking.

[Ftima speaking in Spanish

over speakers]

[Sanchez, in Spanish] We were sure

the kids could hear us.

"Why don't they come out?

Why don't they answer?"

[Ftima speaking in Spanish

over speakers]

[Sanchez, in Spanish] We transitioned

to stronger tactics, more aggressive.

We dropped 10,000 flyers

with the grandmother's message.

- [tense music playing]

- [Sanchez] We dropped food supplies.

We laid 11 kilometers,

or roughly seven miles of caution tape.

We hung whistles on it

so the kids could signal us.

[crickets chirping]

[upbeat pop music playing over speaker]

[Sanchez] We blasted music

like a big concert.

[upbeat pop music

continues playing over speaker]

Of course, with all that disturbance,

the weather turned bad.

- [thunder cracking]

- [menacing music playing]

[Faustino] There's a spirit here

that doesn't like the noise.

[Jair] The White man's

technology and techniques...

didn't work at all.

It was time for a different approach.

It was time to look with other eyes.

So, we called

for indigenous reinforcements.

[tense music playing]

[Ezequiel] The team that found the plane

was exhausted.

Now it's our turn to go

and rescue my nieces and nephew.

The indigenous searchers

found the plane, not us.

So, we believe the indigenous people

would also be able to find the kids.

- [searcher 1, in Huitoto] When?

- [searcher 2] Always and forever!

[tense music builds]

[Sanchez, in Spanish] I received orders

to bring in 85 indigenous people

from other parts of Colombia

and integrate the indigenous

with the commandos.

The orders said, "Trust but verify."

I ordered background checks for everyone

to prevent any infiltration

by a narco-criminal group.

We'll work together, as combined cells.

[searcher 3, in Huitoto] Comrades salute!

[Sanchez, in Spanish]

The search will benefit

from their Indigenous knowledge

of the jungle.

- [searcher 4 speaking Huitoto]

- [search party] Courage! Courage!

[in Spanish]

The jungle is full of mysteries...

that the military isn't equipped to solve.

Our friends and family told us,

"You need to bring an indigenous elder."

And for this, Don Rubio joined us.

He joined as a shaman.

He is a leader...

very well respected for his knowledge

of our spiritual traditions.

[tense music continues]

[Ezequiel] Don Rubio says,

"Relax, we've got this.

"We'll find those kids

in four or five days."

[indistinct chatter]

First of all, take me to the crash site.

[monkey chitters]

[birds calling]

[Ezequiel] As we approach the plane,

my friend Faustino says,

"Prepare yourself, my friend.

You have to be strong.

"You have to be very strong."

[somber music playing]

[flies buzzing]

[Ezequiel] I saw my bag

that my sister had borrowed from me.

I saw the children's things

and my sister's clothes, shoes...

and a makeshift shelter of palm leaves.

When I looked at that, I was...

wracked with pain, overwhelmed.

The kids slept like animals in the jungle.

I thought, "My God.

Why is this happening to the kids?

"Why do they have to suffer through this?

"Why did my sister

have to die like an animal?"

Then within me, deep within me,

I realized this is all the fault

of that son of a b*tch, Manuel.

[sinister music playing]

- [music concludes]

- [hens clucking]

Magdalena talked about

how Manuel pursued her relentlessly

until she agreed to live with him,

even though her mother disapproved.

They moved away from her mother's village.

When they first arrived at my community,

the boy was one year old.

She and I soon became close friends.

Actually, more than friends.

We were like sisters.

We loved going to the garden

to harvest yucca.

- [chuckles] And we liked to party.

- [upbeat folk music playing]

- [indistinct chatter]

- [partier laughing]

[Yolibeth] She'd start dancing

to get everyone in the mood.

She's like, "Girlfriend, let's go!"

[partiers cheering, laughing]

She would hold her husband,

and she didn't have a care in the world

when she danced.

At our community parties,

we dance with whoever is there.

Manuel liked to get very close

to his dance partners.

So, naturally,

Magdalena would get jealous.

[upbeat pop music playing]

[Yolibeth] This would make him very angry.

[Yolibeth] The parties always ended

the same way.

- He would beat her up.

- [somber music playing]

[Yolibeth] On a few occasions,

it was brutal.

- [crickets chirping]

- [dog barking]

[Yolibeth] That's why Manuel

got in trouble

with the guerrilla authority.

The guerrillas set rules of conduct

in order to keep people in line

in our communities.

They put a g*n to his head...

and made it clear to him,

"If you touch this woman again,

we will not forgive you."

And now he had been warned.

[indistinct chatter]

[Manuel] People make mistakes.

We had arguments, like many couples do.

Sometimes in drunken binges,

things get out of hand,

but never anything serious,

like domestic violence.

Never.

[scoffs] My blood was boiling.

I was ready to attack Manuel

with a machete.

Rubio comes over and says,

'You have to control your anger.

"Let's do it for the kids,

"and then once we find the children,

the truth will be known."

[birds calling, chirping]

[Ezequiel] That night

we had a mambe session.

Today, through our sacred plants,

we are clearing the way.

I had one pound of mambe,

and one of ambil.

[Miguel] Mambe is a powder made from coca.

And ambil is a paste made from tobacco.

You take them when you have

a question in mind

that you need answering.

Then you get the inspiration

for whatever it is you're looking for.

[Don Rubio] This way I can see

which way the kids went.

[indistinct chatter]

[brooding music playing]

[birds chirping]

[Jair] "Well, shaman,

I am under your command."

I showed him the GPS.

"This GPS is never going

to get us anywhere because it's blank."

"Right now, you're the GPS

of this GPS," I told him.

[indistinct chatter]

[Don Rubio] In my meditation,

I sensed the kids.

I told the others, "Let's go this way."

- [tense music playing]

- [birds calling]

When Don Rubio begins to search,

he tells us

that he won't work with the army.

However, the mission commander

instructs us to work with them

and provide support. It blew my mind.

Working with indigenous teams,

we were worried.

How are we ever going to work together?

[Montoya] I received orders to follow

400 meters behind them.

I told the guys that finding the kids

shouldn't take long.

The problem is that the military

have no idea what they're doing.

This way, boys. This way.

[Ezequiel] I was in front.

- And I saw small footprints.

- [pensive music playing]

I followed the tracks.

And further up,

we came upon a small shelter.

- Look at this.

- [searcher 5] Mm-hmm.

They used their teeth to cut it.

[uplifting music playing]

[Ezequiel] A short while later,

we found Cristin's little yellow shirt.

We also found some diapers.

And they're fresh.

The kids must be close.

- [searcher 6] Lesly!

- [searcher 7] Lesly!

[searcher 8] Whoa!

[searcher 9] Tien! Lesly!

[pensive music playing]

[Lesly] The days continued to pass,

and I was so hungry.

Soleiny was too.

[Soleiny] All we had to eat was milpesos,

nothing more.

[Lesly] Soleiny liked to talk about food,

like the food she used to eat back home.

[Soleiny] Meat with sauce.

Chicken.

Rice and plantain.

[Lesly] I thought about the times

I wasted food and I cried.

[animals chittering]

[Lesly] And at night,

I thought mostly about my mom

and about how she died.

I remember how my mom suffered a lot.

I thought about the times

she gave me advice,

and I never paid much attention.

She always would say to me...

someday you'll be an orphan,

and then you'll remember me.

And I cried and cried.

[Soleiny] Lesly thought

that God was punishing her.

[foreboding music playing]

We searched for days,

but the kids were nowhere.

Are the kids hiding?

After about three days, Rubio realized

that we were following him.

"You with me?" "No."

He was as sour as a lemon.

He says, "I work alone."

Got it. Stubborn as a mule.

I don't work with the military.

My grandfather was afraid

of people with weapons

because of the violence he experienced

during the rubber trade.

Many of our grandparents... died this way.

- [somber music playing]

- [machete whacking]

[Fidencio] In our territory,

between the Putumayo

and the Caquet rivers,

there was the rubber trade.

During that time,

a lot of people arrived from the outside.

They wanted to exploit our resources.

They needed the rubber

in their cities for their machines.

They said, "Round up the indigenous

by any means and collect the rubber."

[chains rattling]

[Fidencio] We were enslaved.

There were punishments.

Starvation.

[g*nshots]

[Fidencio] More than half

of our population was k*lled.

We still live with the trauma

of that genocide.

[Montoya] The relationship with Rubio

went from bad to worse.

Until he accidentally cut himself

with a machete

and needed our medic,

so we were useful to him.

Hey, Chman, what's happening?

We're making arepas to share

with the group from Araracuara.

[Montoya] Don Rubio, say hello.

We were running low on food,

and they were willing to share theirs.

They got closer to us, asking questions,

like about us not wearing shirts.

"How come mosquitoes don't bite you?

Look at us, covered in bites."

"No, not us.

"Nothing bites us."

- [birds calling]

- [indistinct chatter]

[Montoya] That night, Don Rubio invited me

to their mambe session.

They have one every night.

Obviously, my r*fle

was strapped to my back

and one of my soldiers was on guard.

Don Rubio says,

"Popeye, are you going to try Mambe?"

Personally, I don't consider mambe

to be a narcotic.

For indigenous communities,

mambe helps them do their daily work.

They filled their mouths

until their cheeks were full.

[search party gasping, exclaiming]

So I did the same without knowing

the right way to do it.

It was a turning point.

[Don Rubio, in Huitoto] We are here

on this land, Father Creator.

You gave us this life.

[Montoya, in Spanish]

They shared ancestral stories

in their Huitoto language.

[mystical music playing]

[Manuel] Our beliefs tell

of the first mighty beings on Earth.

They abused the power they received

from the Creator,

so he turned them into animals.

[animals screeching]

[Manuel] These animals

are ruled by the Duende.

[Don Rubio] The Duende is a spirit,

a shapeshifter

that can change into a tapir...

a snake, a jaguar.

The Duende has the power

to take human form and lead you astray.

And Don Rubio believes

that's what the Duende was doing

with the kids.

The children aren't lost.

Who has them? The Duende.

He appeared to them

as their grandmother, Ftima.

He said, "You are my grandchildren.

I'll lead you."

After that, he took the kids away.

[Manuel] The Duende

has them under his power.

But what does he want with the children?

It was very strange to explain

what was happening to my commanders.

It wasn't easy

because there was no logical way

to do it, to explain it.

For example, I reported,

"They say there's a Duende,"

and I didn't know

how my commanders would take it

because Special Forces never talk

about these kinds of things.

[speaking indistinctly]

[Sanchez] My commandos said

they needed four bottles of liquor.

I said, "Okay, let's do it."

It's highly unusual for military aircraft

to be used to transport liquor.

But the decision

from the high command was clear.

Listen to what the indigenous people need.

We don't want people to say

that we didn't find the kids

because we weren't willing to listen.

[Montiel] I asked my commander,

"What's this for?"

He said, at midnight,

place these liquor bottles

in the shape of a cross

at the fork of a river.

[crickets chirping]

[Montiel] The Duende likes liquor a lot,

so he'll get drunk

and let the children go.

It was frightening...

to get these kinds of orders.

I'm not in a Brothers Grimm,

you know, fairy tale.

But whatever it takes to find the kids,

we have to do it.

I knew where that river was

because we had already checked it out.

- [animals chittering]

- [birds calling]

[unsettling music playing]

[Montiel] We searched and searched,

and nothing.

At some point, the laces

from our sergeant's boots became untied

and the boots got tied together.

This happened to him about five times.

All of a sudden,

the compass

started rapidly spinning like this.

It wouldn't stop spinning.

We were lost for about an hour,

hour and a half.

Our heads were about to explode.

"What's going on?

"Let's get out of here before midnight."

We found a river, but not the river fork.

We placed the four bottles

of liquor there.

It dawned on us that we weren't in control

of ourselves at that moment.

I am a Catholic.

I never believed in supernatural forces.

But I started to think

that perhaps a spirit might be

preventing us from finding the kids.

[music concludes]

[searcher 10] Lesly!

I started taking mambe with them.

"Hey, Shaman, it's time to go.

We have to search. Come on."

I took a spoonful,

and when we went out to search,

I didn't get tired,

I didn't get thirsty or hungry.

We're doing an interview

for the news here in the jungle...

What's your indigenous group called?

Huitoto?

Yes, I'm muy tonto.

- [chuckles]

- [crowd laughing]

- Murui.

- Moori?

- [searcher 11] No, he's Murui.

- Murui.

They took mambe, they meditated.

They truly searched with us.

I'm counting on you.

- if something happens to me.

- You got it.

We were all part of the same group,

just wearing different clothes.

[uplifting music playing]

[Montoya] Together,

we found more evidence.

Diapers...

the boy's shoes.

[Sanchez] The shoes had

a huge impact on me.

"My God, is the boy barefoot?"

They were totally unprotected.

Through these clues,

we began to see a pattern.

[reporter 10] The images show that

more than 3,600 miles have been walked.

The Indigenous children

have made circular movements.

[searcher 12] Lesly!

[Alessandro, in English]

But despite the new clues,

with every passing day,

the hope of finding the children alive

drops a little.

[brooding music playing]

[Sanchez, in Spanish]

How can the kids survive

after so many days?

In the jungle, there's plenty of water,

but there isn't much to eat.

And without food,

they can't survive much longer.

By this point, our commandos had covered

almost 90% of the search area.

We'd tried everything in our power.

- [helicopter blades whirring]

- [indistinct radio chatter]

[Sanchez] It wasn't like looking

for a needle in a haystack.

It was more like...

looking for teeny tiny fleas

in an immense carpet.

And the fleas kept jumping

and moving around.

Leaving us guessing

what their next move might be.

- [birds chirping]

- [animals chittering]

[Sanchez] Who are they running from?

Indigenous kids are afraid of the military

because they are not familiar with them.

They aren't afraid of the jungle,

they're afraid of people.

They may be thinking, "If Manuel finds us,

what will he do to us? Let's hide."

[somber music playing]

[Cristin babbles indistinctly]

[Yeritza] The relationship

between Manuel and Lesly was awful.

Manuel didn't allow Lesly to play soccer...

or hang out with other girls.

She was not allowed

to have any kind of a social life.

Magdalena told me that

Manuel wanted to take Lesly out of school,

so they did.

He made sure she spent all her time

doing housework,

and taking care of her siblings.

She had to obey. She was like a sl*ve.

And if she didn't, Manuel would get angry.

One time, Lesly came running outside

so that Manuel wouldn't hit her

and hid behind my husband.

Manuel was carrying a stick.

He was going to hit her.

Lesly was crying.

So, she was always anxious, withdrawn.

She was very timid.

[Ftima] One afternoon

when they were visiting, I asked Lesly,

"Do you want to go to school here?"

"Yes, Grandma."

So, I said, "Magda, do me a favor.

"Leave the girl

with me when she starts sixth grade."

"No," Manuel refused.

"Magdalena works,

so who will take care of the baby?"

I told him,

"You treat Lesly like a donkey,

"making her take care of the baby."

[Lesly] I was looking for a river

so we could have water.

[melancholic music playing]

[Lesly] And I saw something moving.

A tortoise.

Tien picked up a stick,

and I told him not to do that.

"No, Tien."

[grunts]

[pants]

[Lesly] Tien kept asking me,

"Why are we here?

"Why can't we find a way

out of this jungle?"

I kept telling him that we were lost,

and he refused to believe me.

He would get angry and throw tantrums.

[cries]

[Lesly] I've been caring

for Tien since he was little.

Since he was four months old,

I stayed home with him.

I made his food every day.

- [Baby Tien crying]

- [Lesly] I'm tired of it all.

Soleiny and Tien walked so slowly.

I was feeling desperate.

I couldn't carry Cristin anymore.

I wanted to leave my siblings behind

and go on my own.

[Young Lesly sighs, groans]

[tense music playing]

- [thunder cracking]

- [raindrops pattering]

We couldn't find the kids,

and we were getting more and more worried.

[Don Rubio] We couldn't find

a trace of them,

because every day

the Duende took them to a new spot.

Despite my knowledge,

I was being outsmarted here.

[pensive music playing]

[Montoya] Don Rubio

and the indigenous group were very tired.

They were extremely sick.

Almost all of them had pneumonia.

[Ezequiel] We in the search team

were eating well, and yet despite that,

we're still falling apart.

It's impossible for the kids

to survive much longer.

I wish that I was the one suffering,

not the kids.

Manuel was relaxing in the hammock,

complaining as usual.

[Manuel] The Duende attacked me

in my nightmares.

It wasn't easy

to fight such a powerful spirit.

I said, "Brother, stop whining.

"If you had any brains,

you wouldn't have made those mistakes

"with my sister, so shut up."

[Yolibeth] Someone called us

and said that...

Manuel was bringing

another woman to the community.

And no one had warned Magdalena.

"What? This will be a big problem."

[thunder cracking]

- [birds chirping]

- [raindrops pattering]

[Yolibeth] Magdalena went to the port

and the other woman was there with him.

Manuel said that the three of them

would live together.

Manuel was acting crazy...

saying, "This is what

our grandparents used to do."

He would prove

that he could have two wives

to show how tough he is.

And Magdalena got so angry

at him that day.

[Manuel and Magdalena

arguing indistinctly]

[Damaris] Lesly ran off with the kids.

After Manuel took out a machete,

they ran to the forest for safety.

They spent the night there.

[Yolibeth] Magdalena came to my house

at about 1:00 a.m.,

with the baby in her arms.

She said, "Yoli, Yoli!"

I shined a light on her and said,

"What happened to you?

"You two fought again?

I told you to leave him.

"What are you doing?"

She was bleeding.

This whole part of her face was bleeding.

The machete hit her here.

You could see, it was all bloody.

[Ezequiel] Manuel left in a boat...

'cause there were witnesses

to their fight.

So, before the guerrillas found out

what he'd done to my sister, he ran away,

because they would have k*lled him.

- [birds chirping]

- [foreboding music playing]

First of all, I'd like to say

that the reason for this meeting today

is to let you all know

that the Destroyer One group

has officially received orders

from our commanders.

We were told that we are to return

to our base in San Jos.

My team had been in the jungle

for almost a month.

Everyone was exhausted.

Another team

will be here to take our place.

For us, we want you to know

that you're family.

We are going to stay in this fight.

We won't give up until the goal

of finding the kids is achieved.

When they said they were leaving,

I lost my focus.

I said, "Guys,

if we don't find the kid soon...

"they'll be dead."

We said, "Rubio.

"My brother, you told us that it'd take

five days to find those kids.

"It didn't happen.

"The truth is

that this jungle has... dominated us.

"You know what it's time to do.

"It's time for yag.

"We have no choice. It's our last resort."

They gave me a phone number

for some indigenous people...

and asked me to contact them

to arrange for a preparation of the yag.

And when it was ready,

we were to deliver it to them.

The elders in the community

are the ones who have the authority

to make the yag.

Yag is an ancestral drink.

It's also known as Ayahuasca.

[sinister music playing]

[Montoya] I imagine that it would induce

intense hallucinations.

For us, yag is not a game.

Taking yag is not like drinking liquor.

It sends you flying, high above the trees.

While waiting for the yag to arrive,

we built a longhouse

where the yag itself would be taken.

We're going to do this right.

- [thunder cracking]

- [raindrops pattering]

[somber music playing]

[Lesly] Sometimes I was very dizzy...

so I would lean on the trees.

One day,

Soleiny found a little piece of paper.

It said that they were looking for us

and we should stay in one spot.

Tien and Soleiny wanted to stay...

because they were tired

and didn't want to walk anymore.

Soleiny kept falling down

and hurting herself.

Tien could hardly stand up anymore.

[Cristin whines, sobs]

[Lesly] The baby wasn't well.

All she had to eat or drink was water.

I was afraid

that she wasn't going to survive.

So, I decided that we would stay

right where we were.

I set up a shelter for us to sleep in.

[Cristin wailing, crying]

[Lesly] I hope they're coming soon

to rescue us.

[helicopter blades whirring]

[Don Rubio] The yag brew arrived.

This was our last tool to try.

If the yag doesn't work,

then we'll pack up and leave.

[Ezequiel, in Huitoto]

Brothers, are you ready?

- [indistinct chatter]

- [Ezequiel] Yes. We're ready.

Here we are, partners.

[search party] Mm-hmm.

- One person will guide us. Our shaman.

- [searcher 13] Mm-hmm.

- Mm-hmm.

- [pensive music playing]

[Don Rubio] We ask of you Father Creator

to deliver what we've been looking for.

[in Spanish] The time had come.

Manuel must take the yag

so that he understands

why this tragedy happened.

[scoffs]

I was caught off-guard.

I was worried.

[Miguel] A little after 01:00 a.m.,

Manuel drinks it.

[unsettling music playing]

[Miguel] With yag, you leave your body

and go to another dimension

to find the creator.

[Fidencio] With yag,

nothing is impossible.

You'll always receive an answer.

But the one thing is you have to be pure.

[Ezequiel] Before long,

Manuel was snoring.

This guy isn't under its influence.

This guy is sleeping.

[Elicer] Twenty minutes later,

he woke up.

Rubio and I just looked over

at each other for a second.

"What happened here?"

We were all shocked.

- [animals chittering]

- [birds calling]

Just as I was about to reach the kids,

the Duende attacked me

and blocked my path.

[Fidencio] When tragedy strikes,

sometimes you're compelled

to tell a story,

the story of your life.

If you lie, there are consequences.

After Manuel hit my sister

with the machete,

she arrived at our house all bruised.

"Sister, don't worry. We're here for you."

[Yeritza] My sister Magdalena said,

"All right, I have to move on

with my life.

"I'm just going to live here

and send Lesly to school.

"And I'm going to get a job."

I said, "Where is Manuel right now?"

She said, "Manuel went to Bogot."

[Manuel] I left because of the issue

with the guerilla,

but I stayed in touch with Magdalena.

In fact, I left her a letter.

[somber music playing]

[Ftima] Manuel had left a bag behind,

and Magdalena found a note inside the bag.

She read it over and over.

And then it's like she completely changed.

She didn't eat, she didn't sleep.

She said, "Yeri, I think I'm leaving."

I said, "Where to?"

She goes, "To the city.

Manuel has a beautiful house.

"We can live there.

My kids will go to school."

"Magdalena, please. These are all lies.

I don't want you to go."

[Yeritza] I called Manuel.

"Tell me the truth.

Do you love my sister?"

"I don't know.

"But Magdalena's love is overwhelming.

She'll never leave me. Never."

A few days later, we went out.

And Magdalena stayed back at the house.

When we returned, there was no one there.

No one in the house.

Just a mess left behind.

Such a horrible man.

[Yolibeth] She said

that she can't stay away from him.

I can't blame her.

I'm in a similar situation.

When my husband goes out

and ends up drinking too much,

he beats me.

Maybe that happens to a lot of women.

If you love that person,

you may fall into the same trap.

Magdalena couldn't wait to leave.

[Fidencio] Lesly said,

"Mom, I don't want to go.

"You go alone.

I'll stay here with my grandma."

Magdalena pulled her by her hair

and said, "We're going!"

What happened to Magdalena?

I don't know. Maybe this guy

brainwashed her or something.

I think he bewitched her.

At 06:00 a.m., they got on the plane.

Who is to blame here?

That man is to blame because of his lies.

[indistinct chatter]

[Don Rubio] The guys were quiet.

They were depressed.

I told them, "Don't worry.

We still have the last dose of yag."

At 03:00 a.m., I took it.

[eerie music playing]

[tapirs snorting]

[Lesly] At night, Soleiny was frightened

when animals came close to sniff at us.

I used the flashlight.

When I shined the light,

the animals would run away.

[tapirs squealing, snorting]

[Lesly] I had a dream.

It was about Duendes.

They looked like people.

- They completely surrounded us.

- [Duendes howling, muttering]

[Lesly] I couldn't understand

anything they were saying.

[Duendes howling]

[Lesly] I felt that no one

was ever going to find us out here.

I thought we would be stuck here

for the rest of our lives.

- [birds chirping]

- [animals chittering]

[tense music playing]

[indistinct chatter]

[Don Rubio] After taking the yag,

I fought with the Duende.

He squeezed me like this.

I couldn't breathe.

He grabbed me and carried me up a tree.

He spun me around like this.

Then, like an iguana,

I went down to the ground.

I yelled at the Duende.

"I need you to give me the kids.

"These children are innocent.

"The family wants them back."

The Duende told me,

"I've been protecting the children.

"I'll give them to you.

"But only if you take care of them.

"If you don't, beware the consequences."

He left and said, "Go up the hill.

There is a platanillo tree.

"There you will find what you need."

Search over there.

[pensive music playing]

[Ezequiel] Rubio said, "No matter what,

this is the last time we search.

"You go that way,

you go this way, you go that way."

"Around 03:00 p.m.,

we'll all meet back here."

He said,

"You are going to find them." "Okay."

I'm very tired. Really messed up.

He left and disappeared.

We never saw him again.

[tense music playing]

- [searcher 14] Lesly!

- [searcher 15] Lesly!

[searcher 16] Lesly!

[Edwin] Hours pass,

and it's already 02:00 p.m.,

and we're really far away,

like, nine kilometers from our camp.

My group and I

had already combed the area over there.

We had already searched over here.

Nothing. Nothing.

By this point,

I'm too sick to keep searching.

I can't go on. I'm going back.

Back to the camp.

[search party shouting in the distance]

But our group decides

to keep walking and searching.

We started to go up a hill.

[searcher 17, in Huitoto] Hey, come here!

[in Spanish] We quickly headed over.

- [chuckles]

- [playful music playing]

[Edwin] "Oh, brother."

A morrocoy.

A tortoise.

The elders say that if you threaten it,

your wish will be granted.

I told it,

"You're going to give me the children.

"If you don't give me the children,

"the first thing I'll eat is your liver,

because that's my favorite.

"Nicolas will drink your blood."

Now we have dinner for sure.

[suspenseful music playing]

[birds calling, chirping]

We all stand still.

[search party shouting in the distance]

[Lesly, in Spanish] I hear some voices

and footsteps close by.

But I see nothing.

- Nothing at all.

- [searcher 18] Lesly, Tien!

I walk with my head tilted

towards the sound.

I raise my head...

and thank God the children are there.

[searcher 19, in Huitoto]

We found the children!

[search party] We found the children!

[searcher 19] Thank God!

We found the children!

God has blessed us

for the faith we have in Him. Mm-hmm.

- [indistinct chatter]

- [gentle music playing]

[Lesly, in Spanish]

I felt like I was going to faint.

It was from all the emotion.

"I'm finally getting out of the jungle."

[Edwin] We were happy to find them alive.

Two more days

and they would have died one by one.

[Nicolas] The boy says, "I'm hungry.

"I want farinha with chorizo."

"We want to eat tamales.

We want to eat rice pudding."

Well, let's give them some food,

only a little bit.

Otherwise, it might make them sick.

Then we remembered to release the tortoise

because it fulfilled the wish.

"Thank you for granting our wish.

"You can go."

"Brother, let's go. It's getting dark."

[tense music playing]

[Edwin] To get back to camp,

it took almost three hours.

And the kids are on the verge of dying.

[Cristin whining]

I was shocked.

"Son of a g*n, we found them."

I asked Lesly, "Do you know

how long you've been missing?"

She says, "About eight or ten days."

It's actually been 40 days.

She's not 100% aware

of what she's talking about.

We need to evacuate them

if they're going to survive.

As rescue pilots, we sometimes get a call.

If they say "reaction," don't question it.

Run.

- [crickets chirping]

- [indistinct chatter]

When I heard the baby, Cristin...

[imitates baby cooing, scoffs]

My joy was overwhelming.

[somber music playing]

[Ezequiel] Tien stared up at me,

It was utterly shattering

to see him like that.

I said hello to Lesly and Soleiny.

It was...

Lesly, we're going to leave soon.

Soleiny, we're leaving soon.

I went to them.

The first thing I do

is hug the 13-year-old girl,

and greet the nine-year-old girl.

Then I took my son

and daughter and I just held them.

- [brooding music playing]

- [helicopter blades whirring]

As we approached the location,

it's so dark,

the jungle turned into a black carpet.

[thunder rumbling]

The cloud cover was so thick,

the separation between sky and earth

was difficult to... to differentiate.

They were going to evacuate the children.

I said, "Not without me."

I told Manuel, "You can't go.

"Please don't go with the kids.

"You'll traumatize them."

"The kids are coming with me."

[tense music playing]

[Lesly] I didn't want to live

with my stepfather again.

I was afraid.

We start the first extraction with Manuel,

and the baby, Cristin.

- [thunder cracking]

- [raindrops pattering]

[indistinct chatter]

They were going like this,

like a swing, back and forth.

I felt disoriented, confused.

A shadow appeared

and started draining the life out of me.

That spirit was strangling me.

[Quintero] It starts swinging

towards the trees.

It moves faster and faster.

My crew is yelling,

"Stop moving or we're going to crash."

"God, don't let me hit a tree."

[tense music builds]

[Quintero] I strap in Soleiny and Tien,

and I went up with the two of them.

[thunder cracking]

It was as if there was an energy

that was trying to impede us

from succeeding.

[Novoa] I felt as if the helicopter

was somehow being pulled.

It required more power

to be able to handle it.

- "This doesn't feel right."

- [soldiers shouting, clamoring]

[Quintero] Only Lesly remained.

[Lesly] The rope pulls me up,

and I'm so scared.

Am I really going up in an airplane again?

- [dramatic music playing]

- [indistinct chatter]

[Novoa] Children on board,

father on board, rescuers on board.

"Guys, let's get out of here quickly

before this jungle swallows us."

[helicopter blades whirring

in the distance]

[music concludes]

- [birds chirping]

- [uplifting music playing]

[Monica and Tien speaking indistinctly]

[imitates plane engine roaring]

[grunts, coos]

[indistinct chatter]

[Monica] Tell me,

what was the most difficult day?

[Lesly] Cristin was crying and crying.

I thought,

"I want to leave my siblings behind

"and go alone, leave Cristin."

And I took a deep breath,

and then I thought

about leaving my siblings.

But I said, "No."

So, I decided to stay there with them.

[Monica] That must have been

very difficult.

Yes.

I was in an accident like this, see?

Like this.

And my mom died.

And Lesly was protecting us.

[Monica] Look at all that you went through

and all you did to save your siblings,

to survive.

[sighs]

[gentle music playing]

[Damaris] "People say

you're a miracle," I told her.

"Why, Auntie?" she asked.

"Because you fell from the sky

and survived for 40 days.

"No one does that."

I'm going to win!

Wait! Wait for my sisters!

Come on, hurry!

[Tien screams] Come on!

[indistinct chatter]

[Damaris] I told her, "You are free now.

"You won't be anybody's sl*ve.

- "You will have a real life.

- [laughs]

[Damaris] "Think of it as a movie,

and this is the end of the movie."

[inspiring music playing]

- [truck horn blaring]

- [spectators cheering]

[crowd cheering, applauding]

[cheering continues]

This search in the Amazon jungle

needs to start a phase of understanding

between the state

and the indigenous communities,

the majority of whom

have been excluded for centuries.

[crowd cheering, applauding]

[music concludes]

[upbeat folk music playing]

[suspenseful music playing]

[music concludes]