# Elsa Pavón dies at 90 after recovering stolen grandchild

> First Grandmother of Plaza de Mayo recovers stolen grandchild, dies at 90.
- Title: Elsa Pavón dies at 90 after recovering stolen grandchild
- Summary: First Grandmother of Plaza de Mayo recovers stolen grandchild, dies at 90. Elsa Pavón, who recovered a stolen grandchild during Argentina’s military…
- Keywords: elsa pavón, grandmothers of plaza de mayo, military dictatorship, recovered grandchild, anahí association, paula logares, operation condor, genetic testing, argentina, Buenos Aires Herald
- Source: Buenos Aires Herald — https://buenosairesherald.com/human-rights/elsa-pavon-first-grandmother-of-paza-de-mayo-to-recover-stolen-grandchild-dies
- Author: Martina Jaureguy
- Published: 2026-11-05T17:05:09+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: elsa pavón, grandmothers of plaza de mayo, military dictatorship, recovered grandchild, anahí association, paula logares, operation condor, genetic testing, news, argentina
## Elsa Pavón dies
Elsa Pavón, the first member of the Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo to recover a grandchild stolen during Argentina’s last military dictatorship, died Thursday at 90.
## Co-founder of Grandmothers
Pavón was one of the co-founders of the Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo, a group of women, mothers of victims of the dictatorship, who have been searching for their grandchildren, stolen by the military regime…
## President of Anahí Association
She was also president of the Anahí Association, a human rights organization she co-founded in 1996 alongside fellow Grandmother María Isabel "Chicha" Chorobik de Mariani.
## First grandchild recovered
In 1983, the year the dictatorship ended, the Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo received reports that a 7-year-old child being raised by a police officer named Rubén Lavallén and his wife might be a stolen…
## Genetic testing confirms identity
Confirmation that the child was Paula came in late 1984. Her identity was established using a pioneering genetic testing technique that relied on blood samples from her grandmother, since her parents, the closest genetic matches…
## Paula raised by Pavón
Paula then moved in with Pavón, who raised her while continuing the search for Mónica, Claudio, and their baby.
## Key takeaway

Elsa Pavón, who recovered a stolen grandchild during Argentina’s military dictatorship, died at 90.