Maria Victoria Henao's bio: What happened to Pablo Escobar’s wife?

Maria Victoria Henao's bio: What happened to Pablo Escobar’s wife?

To the world, Pablo Escobar was a cold-hearted killer, but to his family, he was just a loving husband and father. No one can agree with this statement more than Maria Victoria Henao. Maria was Pablo Escobar's wife until 1993, when the Colombian narco-terrorist was killed by Colombian law enforcement on the rooftop of a Medellin neighbourhood. This is the story of Maria, the woman who stuck by Pablo's side and loved him endlessly.

Maria Victoria Henao
The drug lord with his wife in Colombia in 1993. Photo: Eric Vandeville
Source: Getty Images

Who killed Pablo Escobar's wife? Escobar's wife, Maria, is still alive. She was widowed at only 32 years old. Maria was married to Escobar for 17 years, and although the world might think very negative things about Escobar, to Maria, the drug lord made her feel like a princess.

Profile summary

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Full nameMaria Victoria Henao
GenderFemale
Date of birth1961
Age61 years (as of 2022)
Place of birth Envigado, Colombia
NationalityColombian
EthnicityCaucasian
Religion Christianity
SexualityStraight
Height in feet5'7"
Height in centimetres170
Weight in pounds165
Weight in kilograms75
Body measurements in inches34-26-35
Body measurements in centimetres86-66-88
Hair colourDark brown
Eye colourBlack
MotherLeonor Zuleta
FatherCarlos Henao Vallejo
Siblings2
Relationship statusWidow
SpouseThe late Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria
Children2

Maria Victoria Henao's biography

Who was Pablo Escobar's first wife? His first wife was María Victoria Henao, who was born in 1961 in Colombia. She was born in the small village of Palmira Valle Del Cauca to her parents, Carlos Henao Vallejo and Leonor Zuleta.

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She grew up alongside her two siblings, a brother named Carlos Mario Henao Vallejo (who worked with Pablo) and a sister named Pastora Henao Bayen. It is said that while she was young, Victoria enjoyed dancing.

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Relationship with Pablo Escobar

In 1974, 13-year-old Victoria met Pablo Escobar through her brother Carlos (who worked with him), and the two fell in love. In her book, Mrs Escobar: My Life With Pablo, Maria describes how Escobar wooed her:

"He made me feel like a fairy princess and I was convinced he was my Prince Charming,"

Due to Carlos' involvement with Escobar, Maria's family was well aware of his criminal activities and opposed the union. As a result, the couple was forced to elope.

How old was Maria Victoria Henao when she got married? Victoria got married to Escobar when she was 15 years old.

A year later, at 16 years old, she gave birth to their first child, Juan Pablo Escobar (born on 24 February 1977), without her parents and siblings' support. Their daughter, Manuela Escobar, was born seven years later, in 1984.

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It is reported that until Escobar's arrest in 1977, Maria believed her husband was in the real estate business. Despite her innocence, she recognized that her husband was not the man she thought he was.

Recalling when she found out that Pablo had arranged for the assassination of justice minister Rodrigo Lara Bonilla, she said,

"I knew that day we were in a huge mess. My life, the life of my children is going to be difficult."

Though Maria and Escobar were happily married, Escobar was involved in numerous affairs. He had many mistresses, one of whom was journalist Virginia Vallejo, whose affair with Pablo was well-known and also well-documented.

Maria knew everything about this affair and his other mistresses, but she never abandoned him.

While many suggest that her unconditional love towards Pablo made her tolerate all his debaucheries, Virginia, in her book Loving Pablo, Hating Escobar, suggested that Maria was addicted to the lavish lifestyle that she had with Pablo.

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Perhaps, Maria also knew that it would be almost impossible for her to take care of herself and her children without her husband's support.

Also, since she had severed all ties with her family to marry Pablo, she could not even seek her family's help.

Pablo Escobar's death

On 2 December 1993, Pablo was murdered by a group of U.S.-backed Colombian officers on a rooftop in Medellín. It is said that in error in judgment, Escobar made a phone call to his wife that police were able to trace and use to locate him.

His son, Juan, disputes this theory, saying he believes his father took his own life.

What happened to Escobar's wife after he died?

In the years immediately following Pablo's death, life got complicated for Maria and her children. Though she longed for a stable home, Pablo's reputation followed the family everywhere they went.

However, despite taking extra caution, Maria and her son were arrested in 1999 after a television show revealed their whereabouts. The charges brought against them were theft and money laundering.

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The investigation suggested that Maria was involved in drug trafficking and that she had details of Pablo's business. She denied all the allegations and stated that she was just Pablo's wife and had nothing to do with his illegal businesses.

What happened to Pablo Escobar's wife and children? After 15 months, Maria and her son were released due to insufficient evidence. In 2018, they were arrested again for allegedly helping a drug trafficker launder money.

Her son works as an architect and lecturer. He has also authored a popular book titled Pablo Escobar: My Father. However, her daughter has never mentioned her father publicly and has cut all ties with the family.

How did Maria Victoria Henao die?

Pablo Escobar's wife's death is not real as she is still alive. It is her husband who died in a shootout on 2 December 1993. He was killed in his hometown by Colombian National Police a day after his 44th birthday.

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Is Pablo Escobar's wife still alive? Yes, she is. Maria lives in an apartment in Bueno Aires, along with her son and Pablo's mother.

Where is Maria Victoria Henao now?

Where is Escobar's wife now? Maria, who is currently a grandmother, is currently living in Buenos Aires. She relocated after the death of her husband, Pablo. She was forced to continually flee from place to place to keep her family safe, often changing her name to Maria Isabel Santos Caballero.

Pablo Escobar's children also changed their names: Juan became Sebastian Marroquin and Manuela became Juana Manuela Marroquin Santos. They have since maintained a very low profile.

She stated in a recent interview that since Pablo's death, she has never been the same and that she is still suffering the consequences of love. She is, however, focusing on developing herself.

What is Maria Victoria Henao's net worth?

According to Popular Networth, Maria Victoria Henao's net worth is estimated to be around $554,000 in 2022.

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How tall is Maria Victoria Henao?

Maria Victoria Henao's height is 5 feet 7 inches (170 centimetres), and she weighs 165 pounds (75 kilograms). She has dark brown hair and black eyes. Her body measurements are 34-26-35 inches (86-66-88 centimetres).

What happened to Pablo Escobar's money?

A lump sum was supposedly set aside to take care of Escobar's family, but that money apparently never reached its intended hands. The law ultimately seized some of the liquid assets, but the hard assets and hidden cash remain largely unaccounted for.

Maria Victoria Henao knew Pablo Escobar as a loving husband and father, and despite the drug lord's infidelity, she stuck by him through thick and thin. Though Pablo's illegal activities shone a light on his family and had adverse effects on Maria and their kids, today, Maria lives a quiet life away from the limelight.

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Adrianna Simwa (Lifestyle writer) Adrianna Simwa is a content writer at Legit.ng where she has worked since mid-2022. She has written for many periodicals on a variety of subjects, including news, celebrities, and lifestyle, for more than three years. She has worked for The Hoth, The Standard Group and Triple P Media. Adrianna graduated from Nairobi University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in 2020. In 2023, Simwa finished the AFP course on Digital Investigation Techniques. You can reach her through her email: adriannasimwa@gmail.com