Enriqueta Martí preyed on Barcelona’s poorest children during the first decade of the twentieth century, drawing on local superstitions and the desperation of families to conceal her activities for years.
Her case emerged at a time when rapid urban growth left many working-class households without reliable support networks. Children often disappeared without immediate notice, especially in overcrowded districts where migration from rural areas had outpaced housing and employment. Martí exploited these conditions by offering temporary childcare or promising medical cures that played on widespread beliefs in folk remedies.
Contemporary accounts describe her as a woman who moved between several addresses in the Raval and Poble Sec neighbourhoods. She maintained an appearance of respectability that allowed her to approach parents directly, sometimes claiming connections to wealthier households that needed domestic help.
Background
Martí was born in 1868 in a village near Barcelona. She arrived in the city as a young adult and worked in various low-paid roles before establishing herself in informal networks that supplied children to households or institutions. Records from the period show she faced earlier accusations of theft and minor fraud, yet these incidents did not prevent her from continuing to operate in plain sight.
By the early 1900s she had developed a pattern of approaching families in markets and tenement courtyards. She presented herself as someone who could place children in better circumstances or treat illnesses with herbal mixtures. Parents who accepted her offers often received no further contact once the child left their care.
The Crimes
Police investigations later established that Martí targeted children between the ages of three and nine. Neighbours reported seeing her with different children over short periods, yet few formal complaints were lodged until 1911. The pattern involved luring children away with promises of food or work, then keeping them in small apartments where remains and personal items were later recovered.
Evidence collected after her arrest indicated that some children were killed shortly after abduction. Other items suggested attempts to preserve body parts, consistent with claims that she supplied materials for alleged magical or medicinal preparations. These practices reflected a broader cultural context in which certain healers still operated outside regulated medicine.
Investigation
The case gained momentum when a neighbour alerted authorities after hearing repeated cries from an adjacent flat. Officers who searched the premises discovered clothing, bones and other remains belonging to multiple children. Further searches of previous addresses uncovered additional evidence that linked Martí to disappearances reported over several years.
Investigators interviewed dozens of families who had entrusted children to her. Many described similar experiences: an initial period of apparent care followed by sudden disappearance and fabricated explanations. The slow pace of the inquiry reflected limited forensic resources and the difficulty of tracing children whose families lacked documentation.
Capture and Proceedings
Martí was arrested in 1912. She offered little cooperation during questioning and denied involvement in any deaths. Newspapers of the time reported intense public interest, with crowds gathering outside the courthouse during preliminary hearings. The volume of evidence, however, made a full trial likely before proceedings could advance.
Martí died in prison in 1913. Official records list the cause as natural illness, though contemporary speculation included suicide. Her death prevented any detailed courtroom examination of the full extent of her activities and left several families without formal resolution.
Legacy
The Martí case prompted limited reforms in child welfare oversight in Barcelona. Municipal authorities introduced stricter registration requirements for informal guardians, yet enforcement remained inconsistent for years afterward. The episode also highlighted the vulnerability of migrant families who lacked access to official support systems.
Later historical assessments treat the case as an example of how poverty and superstition intersected with criminal opportunity in rapidly expanding cities. No verified evidence supports claims of organised networks beyond Martí’s individual actions, and the precise number of victims remains uncertain due to incomplete records.
Conclusion
Enriqueta Martí’s activities exposed gaps in early twentieth-century child protection in Barcelona. The case relied on documented police findings and contemporary reporting rather than later embellishments. Families affected by the disappearances received little formal justice, yet the investigation established a clear record of sustained harm to multiple children over an extended period.
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