Juan Morstadt, Charged in Julia Chuñil Disappearance, Involved in Alcohol-Related Accident

Original article: Volcamiento con 0,68 de alcohol y queda apercibido: Juan Morstadt, imputado por la desaparición de Julia Chuñil, otra vez en la mira

On the night of Tuesday, November 25, a traffic accident on the Ruta T-39 in the commune of Los Lagos (Los Ríos Region) has once again brought attention to agroforestry entrepreneur Juan Carlos Morstadt Anwandter. The vehicle he was driving ended up overturned beside a damaged electricity pole and ignited grassland, with subsequent tests revealing a blood alcohol concentration of 0.68 g/l. Despite this, the attending prosecutor decided to leave him apercibido, allowing him to remain free but requiring him to appear when summoned. This incident, captured on video, adds to the troubling history surrounding Juan Morstadt and the Julia Chuñil case, where he is an unformalized suspect.

According to police reports, at 10:50 PM, Carabineros responded to a call at kilometre 6.9 of Ruta T-39 and found the vehicle overturned, a damaged pole, and fires within the vegetation at the scene. The incident did not disrupt traffic, and emergency crews, including firefighters and SAMU personnel, worked to control the flames and assist the driver.

As reported by Radio Atractiva, Morstadt sustained minor injuries, was stable, and was taken to the Hospital de Los Lagos for assessment. Later, police returned to complete the investigation and administer the appropriate alcohol tests.

Morstadt’s Overturning and the Decision to Keep Him Apercibido

At 11:48 PM, Juan Carlos Morstadt underwent a breathalyzer test, which registered 0.68 g/l of alcohol. Based on this result, he was initially detained for driving under the influence of alcohol and collision damage. The procedures, as explained by Carabineros Lieutenant Patricio Lienlaf, were conducted according to protocol, confirming the driver’s condition and verifying the circumstances of the overturn.

It was reported that both the vehicle and driver’s documentation were in order. Following initial investigations, the prosecutor on duty decided to leave the driver apercibido, meaning he was released but required to report when summoned by the competent court.

Emergency personnel secured the accident area and took necessary measures to ensure road safety and the integrity of those involved in the incident. Subsequently, the spokesperson for the Los Ríos Prosecutor’s Office, Eric Aguayo, confirmed the identity of the individual involved in the overturning, as local media reported.

Juan Morstadt and the Julia Chuñil Case

Agroforestry entrepreneur Juan Carlos Morstadt Anwandter has been declared a suspect by the Regional Prosecutor’s Office of Los Ríos in the investigation regarding the forced disappearance of Julia Chuñil Catricura, a Mapuche environmental defender who has been missing for a year. The Prosecutor’s Office has described him as a «person of primary interest» in the investigation, allowing for various intrusive measures, including phone tapping.

Julia Chuñil disappeared after reporting repeated threats from Morstadt in the context of a land conflict. She and her community had reclaimed 900 hectares of ancestral territory that CONADI ended up handing over to the entrepreneur, described in the region as a figure with considerable political and financial influence.

According to the Public Ministry’s investigation, Julia Chuñil was last seen on the property «La Fritz», owned by Juan Carlos Morstadt, «who maintained a previous and ongoing conflict with the victim», retaining his status as an unformalized suspect in the case.

During the investigation, the phone taps authorized for the entrepreneur became especially significant. In some of those conversations, Morstadt implied that he holds sensitive information regarding Julia Chuñil’s fate. It is within this context that a call with his father surfaced, in which he mentions that Julia Chuñil was «burned».

The overturning of Juan Morstadt on Ruta T-39, his initial detention for driving under the influence of alcohol after testing at 0.68 g/l, and the prosecutor’s decision to keep him apercibido, should not be viewed as an isolated incident, but rather as another chapter in the judicial saga surrounding Juan Morstadt.