Human remains found in Gustavo Cerati’s former home have been identified

The unsettling discovery of human remains inside a wall of a Buenos Aires home once rented by rock legend Gustavo Cerati has taken a sharp turn. Authorities have now determined the age and gender of the deceased, offering clarity in a case that’s soaked in mystery. But rather than providing closure, the new information has only deepened the intrigue swirling around a property that seems to have a soundtrack of secrets.

The remains, found on May 20 during routine demolition work, have been identified as belonging to a male between 20 and 22 years old. Forensic experts based this estimate on the skeletal build and the degree of development in the bones. The estimated time of death was circa 1995, a full six years before Cerati ever set foot in the house.

That crucial detail has cleared Cerati of any conceivable connection to the death, though conspiracy theorists might still find a way to loop in lyrics and album art.

Cerati, the legendary Soda Stereo frontman and solo artist, lived in the house from 2001 to 2003, renting it from artist Mariana Olmi. Now, investigators are working backward to figure out who had access to the home in the mid-90s and how a man ended up buried in such a shallow, hastily dug grave inside a wall.

A Grave Too Small and a Mystery Too Big

The burial site itself speaks volumes. Measuring only 47 by 24 inches and 16 inches deep, it was built for speed. Experts believe whoever buried the body was in a rush, likely hoping to hide it before anyone noticed.

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The positioning of the remains, along with the clothing and wristwatch found nearby, suggests the burial wasn’t random. Investigators are now analyzing those personal items for DNA or trace evidence that might point to the victim’s identity or the person who put him there.

What’s especially haunting is that the body was hidden in a partition wall shared with the neighboring house, only discovered because part of that wall collapsed during the renovation.

The House with Too Much History

The property in question, located on the 3700 block of Avenida Congreso in Buenos Aires’ Coghlan neighborhood, already had a reputation for odd energy; some even say a dark aura. Mariana Olmi once described unsettling incidents while she lived there. One memory includes a tree in the garden spontaneously catching fire.

© Google Maps Street View

This wasn’t just a rockstar crash pad. The house has a long, strange backstory. Before Cerati, Fito Páez, Charly García, and Hilda Lizarazu all passed through its doors, it had been a nursing home, a religious chapel, and even a stable. 

And now, it’s got a murder mystery to add to its resume.

Who Was the Young Man?

That’s the question haunting investigators and the public. At this point, the profile is frustratingly broad: a man, likely in his early 20s, possibly dead for around 30 years, found with clothing and a watch that may or may not lead to an identity. While the current owners of the house and its occupants over the past two decades appear to be in the clear, former tenants or visitors from the early 90s are being looked into.

Given the body’s condition and the site, experts say this was unlikely to be a professional hit. “It looks like someone panicked,” a police source told Infobae. Whether it was a domestic dispute, a case of mistaken identity, or something even darker remains to be seen.

The Investigation Moves Forward

The remains have been transported for forensic testing, and DNA analysis is underway. Police are also combing through old real estate records, census data, and cases of missing persons from the early to mid-90s. 

© AFP via Getty Images

Neighborhood residents have been asked for any memories or records of who lived in or frequented the house in that era. So far, no arrests have been made, and no leads have been made public. But as more pieces fall into place, the puzzle may begin to form a picture, possibly of a crime buried both in time and in literal concrete.

The irony is hard to ignore when a house tied to one of Latin America’s most beloved musicians is suddenly back in the spotlight, not for nostalgia but for a chilling archaeological find.