Lina Marcela Medina has been identified as the youngest mother in the world, having given birth at the tender age of 5 years and 7 months. Its history is impressive and to this day attracts the attention of various people and organizations. Lina was born on September 23, 1933 in Peru. She comes from a seemingly modest family. Her parents are completely ordinary people. Her mother, Victoria, is a housewife and her father, Tiburello, is a silversmith.
At the age of 5 and 6 months, her parents noticed an unusual swelling in her abdomen, which they at first thought might be some kind of ᴛᴜᴍᴏʀ, but they would never have guessed that the youngest mother was actually pregnant. The diagnosis was made by Dr. Gerardo Lozada and showed that Lina was 7 months pregnant. At first, her parents don’t even imagine that it’s possible for someone to get pregnant at that age and think Dr. Gerardo is a fool. So they take Lina to another specialist, who actually confirms the original diagnosis.
Then the problems begin. After making this diagnosis, the doctor calls the police to immediately arrest the girl’s father, who is charged as the prime suspect in the case. After a week of questioning, the police have to release Tiburello because they don’t have enough evidence to prove that the father impregnated his own child. The second suspect is Lina’s cousin, who has ᴍᴇɴᴛᴀʟ ɪssᴜᴇs. It is they who make the authorities think that he would be capable of such a horrific act. Again, their assumption remains without evidence.
The next step for the police is to try to get some answers from Lina in the presence of her mother to see if she remembers anyone ʜᴜʀᴛɪɴɢ her or ʀᴀᴘɪɴɢ her. With the child extremely confused about everything happening to her, the police again fail to identify a potential suspect. With no further evidence or leads, the authorities are forced to drop the case.
However, the case has not been forgotten.
In a 1955 article, author Luis Leon stated that many of Peru’s remote villages hold regular “religious festivals” that lead to ɢᴀɴɢ sᴇx or even ʀᴀᴘᴇ, which indeed involve minors or children of such a tender age as Lina. In the absence of a more plausible theory for Lina’s case, it is believed that she was actually ʀᴀᴘᴇᴅ at one of these strange festivals.
But what happens to her?
When Lina is 8 months old, pressured by the media, her parents make an interesting confession. Her mother says that she had her period for the first time at the age of 3. Specialists later found out that she suffered from a condition known as ᴘʀᴇᴄᴏᴄɪᴏᴜs ᴘᴜʙᴇʀᴛʏ, which meant that her genitals would develop at a very young age. In this case, the glands that secrete growth and sex hormones begin to function abnormally early in life. The exact cause of this condition is still unknown.
Due to her tender age and undeveloped body for pregnancy, the only way for her to give birth is by C-sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ. Of course, this again poses great risks for the youngest mother’s life.
The doctors at the maternity hospital knew that there was a high probability that the baby would have serious difficulties because it was then believed that Lina’s young organism was underdeveloped, which is why it could not offer the baby the necessary nutrition during the 9 months of pregnancy. Miraculously, the baby was born healthy at an ideal weight of 2.7 kilograms, coincidentally on Mother’s Day, May 14, 1939.
The family decided to name the child Gerardo Medina, inspired by Lina’s doctor, who was by her side during the birth. The identity of the father still remains a mystery, even to this day. What is certain is that Lina is another innocent young victim of sexual abuse. What’s more horrifying is that this is still happening today.
After the birth, Lina’s parents do everything possible to provide their child and grandchild with as normal a life as possible. However, they keep explaining to them what the relationship between the two of them is. It is admirable that Lina’s parents protected her privacy and did not use their daughter’s unique condition for financial gain. After the case became known, many researchers and doctors took great interest in Lina and wanted to study her and her child. Lina’s parents refuse, as they do not want to ruin their daughter’s childhood.
Lina is still alive and well today, aged 87 years. Not much is known about Gerardo Medina.
