Their bones found: Zlatko Chetniks killed the whole family, Paul disappeared with his twin brother …

With their hands, their eyes full of tears and remembrance, the families and friends of the missing were sitting in the hall of the National Memorial Hospital « Dr. Juraj Njavro ». They listened to the names of the people whose posthumous remains were read, waiting for when they would hear the name of their mother, father, sister, brother … They disappeared during the Homeland War. Their destinies are unknown, families hoped to find them one day and have a place where they would be able to light a candle.

As many as 12 people identified on Monday. They read the names: Tomislav Pršl, Pal Horvat, Paul-Freedom Wise, Ivan Curic, Vladimir Blazevic, Nada Mihajlovic, Zlatko Ivan, Stjepan Patko, Vladimir Djumic, Antun Jakobcic, Ivan Mesaros and Milan Prpić.

Killed his father in Berk

For Tomislav Pršlj (1940), the son of Erdovan sought for 34 years. Until early 1990, Croats and Serbs lived together in Berk, a small village near Vukovar. And then, in one day, the Serbs killed 56 of yesterday's neighbors and friends of Croats. Among them was Tomislav Prsl. He was 51 years old, his wife Anđu and six children. He had an old father and mother of that land, which he cultivated to survive. He was a Croatian defender, a member of the 204th HV Brigade.

– Berak was occupied on September 2. A Serbian army was organized in the village and that day killed everyone they saw on the street. On the day of the occupation in the house was the late brother Zeljko with Dad, who came home from the field to rest. One locals who had a truck loaded everyone who wanted to escape from the village and came out at the last minute. Among them was Brother Zeljko. Dad didn't want to go even though his brother persuaded him and pushed him into a truck. Many older locals did not want to go. They naively believed that no one would do anything to them, that they had not hurt anyone, that they were not guilty of anything, and the beasts that killed them came – Erdovan described in 2020.

All the people who stayed in the village captured on September 4, among them his father.

– They worked all sorts of horrors, threw them into the wells, pushed their rats into their mouths. My father was particularly tortured and abused by our sons. He was brought from the house in front of the local office and beat him with a stick. Eventually they took him to the pasture and killed him there. Three Chetniks were with him at that moment and I know who they were. After killing him, they sent two for his body. They wanted to bury him in the cemetery, but the Chetniks did not give, but ordered him to bury him in a pasture under one willow – says Erdovan. His father's body, he says, was there until 1993, when the JNA came to the village again. They then dug it and drove it to an unknown location. Now, 34 years later, they finally found him.

'He said I was waiting for him! And I met … '

Pavle 'Pal' Horvat (1954) was 37 years old when he ended up in the darkness of Velepromet's hangar. His posthumous remains were recently exhumed from the mass grave of Petrovacka Dol. Pal was a only son. He had one marriage behind him and two children, Boris and Martin. He then met the peace of the communic, also a defender of Vukovar. They were a relationship, and she and Pal's family have been waiting for any information about him since 1991. He was a member of PS ZNG Vukovar and the 3rd Kuna Guards Brigade.

As Mira told, Pal was a good, but crazy brave.

– As the city was under the increasing siege, it was increasingly difficult. We were hiding from the missile, but it was easier for me to live in Vukovar than today. I was with a fallen. With his disappearance, my life was interrupted, my youth, everything stopped. My mourning process took a very long time. I hoped to find him for a long time, until I heard what had happened to him, ”Mira said. She added that she promised him that he would wait forever.

– The evening before the fall of the city, November 17, we said goodbye. I promised him that I would wait for him and for a moment in these 34 years I have not wanted to have my husband and family. I kept my promise. And here, I greeted him – Mira told tears.

Disappeared with the twin brother

Paul-Freedom Wise (1938) was a member of the 204th Brigade. He disappeared with his twin brother Borislav. They applied together to defend Vukovar. The two were captured by Beli Orlovi on mytical after the fall of the city. They were taken to Vučedol, then to Negoslavci, and they lost their mark there. Paul have now found, they are still looking for Borislav. Borislav's wife and Pavl's sister -in -law 2019 told us the circumstances of their disappearance.

– I heard that Beli eagles lit in their basement as they lasted negotiations. 11 of them captured, taken to Vučedol, later handed over to the military police. They were taken to Negoslavci where they were lost. My son was captured in Borovo Commerce and ended up in the Stajic camp as well as my nephew. They were difficult moments, ”she said, and continued:

– Let's find our wife and his brother, we tried everything. All together. Everywhere we were, asked, inquired. Prayed, carried pictures for the international and our Red Cross. We were constantly trying to break through, but nothing. There are none of them to this day – she said quietly and thanked her for at least her son alive had arrived home.

Manda for 34 years searched for his wife

Among the identified is Zlatko Ivan (1955) a member of the National Guard Corps. Disappeared in Vukovar after the fall of the city, November 19, 1991. He was born from Petrovac. During the war, he was killed by his mother, father and brother. They were exhumed from the new cemetery in 1998.

Few peace will now find Manda Patko, who has now found her husband Stjepan (1942) after 34 years. She saw him last time at Velepromet.

– They closed us at the barracks at Velepromet. There were many people already. A Chetnik told my husband that he would take him to examine. Next to me stood a woman with her husband. I asked her if he was in questioning too. She confirmed. I asked where they were taking them out and what they asked, and she says they take them to the barracks, ask for weapons, if they were in defense, where their positions were. She said it was best for her husband to tell the truth. Her told the truth, so they told him that some jobs would work for them: they made him collect dead livestock and burden her. He stayed alive. I said to my husband, 'Say you had a rifle, but that you defended your children, your house'. They soon took him. The man who took him today lives in Vukovar. He was a Chetnik with weapons. Where he took him and where he handed him over, he doesn't want to say. But from that day, from that moment on, my wife is lost every trace. What he told them in the interrogation, whether he had reached the barracks at all or not, I would never find out – Manda said earlier for 24 hours.

For more than three decades, she has not given up on the search for her husband. She came to every exhumation. Followed all the information. She hoped she would finally have a place where her husband would light a candle …

After taking Stjepan to the examination from which they never returned him, Manda spent two days in the barracks at Velepromet. There was also her mother -in -law. Then they all put them on the bus and through Negoslavci, side roads, to Serbia. She survived the camp torture and returned to Vukovar after years of refugee.

Croatian defenders Ivan Curic (1959) and Vladimir Blazevic (1953) will now have their graves. Were members of the 130th HV Brigade. They disappeared in December 1991 at Paulin Dvor. Their posted remains exhumed from the tomb that they found at the end of Bobota earlier this year.

Nada Mihajlovic (1954) disappeared in October 1991 in a breakthrough from Bogdanovci. Her remains were exhumed in July 2024.

The disappearance of Vladimir Djumic (1954) is associated with Velepromet where he was last seen. He was a member of the 204th Vukovar Brigade.

They also identified three civilians of Anton Jakobcic (1927), Ivan Mesaros (1931) and Milan Prpic (1932) who were violently taken from their homes at the Fair during October 1991.