DNA Discovery Reopens Shocking Cold Case: Who Really Killed Nora Dalmasso?

Río Cuarto, Argentina — For nearly 20 years, the murder of Nora Dalmasso has cast a long, painful shadow over her family, her city, and an entire nation. A beloved wife and mother, Nora was found strangled in her bedroom in 2006, tied with her own bathrobe belt. Now, after years of heartache, scandal, and false accusations, a new suspect has been identified — and with it, a glimmer of long-awaited justice.

On that November morning, Nora’s lifeless body was discovered in her upscale home in the quiet city of Río Cuarto. She had no visible enemies. There was no sign of forced entry. From the beginning, investigators believed her killer might have been someone she knew — someone she trusted.

But instead of finding answers, the investigation spiraled into chaos. Her husband, Dr. Marcelo Macarrón, was out of town on a golf trip, yet prosecutors accused him of hiring someone to kill her. Then, in an even more shocking twist, their teenage son Facundo was also charged. He was just 19.

The accusations tore the Dalmasso family apart and made headlines across Argentina. Both father and son were eventually cleared — Marcelo in 2022 and Facundo almost a decade earlier — but the damage had already been done.

What many don’t know is how deeply this case affected the people left behind. Nora’s parents, her siblings, her friends — all watched as her name was dragged through the media, her memory twisted by rumors and speculation. And through it all, the real killer remained free.

Then, in late 2024, everything changed.

A previously untested DNA sample taken from the robe used to strangle Nora matched a man named Roberto Barzola — a floor polisher who had once worked inside the Dalmasso home. His DNA was also found in hair samples from the crime scene.

Barzola had been interviewed back in 2006 but was never seriously considered a suspect. He denies any involvement in the murder. Still, prosecutors charged him with sexual assault and homicide.

But even with this breakthrough, justice is far from guaranteed.

Argentina’s statute of limitations could block the case from moving forward, since too much time has passed. Barzola’s lawyers are already trying to get the charges dropped. For now, a judge has refused to dismiss the case, allowing the investigation to continue — but the legal battle is just beginning.

For Nora’s family, the new development is bittersweet. There’s relief in finally knowing who may have been responsible. But there’s also anger and grief — at the years lost, at the media circus, at a justice system that allowed the case to grow cold.

“This should have been solved years ago,” one family friend said. “Nora was failed. Her name was dragged through the mud, and her killers were ignored. Now, we just want the truth to come out — no matter how long it takes.”

Nora Dalmasso was more than a headline. She was a mother, a friend, a woman who loved art, music, and her family. And now, almost 20 years later, her loved ones are still waiting — not just for justice, but for peace.