Meet Mario Henao Vallejo’s Siblings: Pastora Henao Bayen and María Victoria Henao

The Henao Vallejo family’s story is closely linked to one of the most notorious figures of the 20th century—Pablo Escobar.

Carlos Mario Henao Vallejo, better known as Mario Henao Vallejo, was born on January 26, 1942, in Envigado, Antioquia, Colombia, to Carlos Henao Vallejo and Leonor Zuleta.

He had two sisters, Pastora Henao Bayen and María Victoria Henao. In 1976, despite initial family objections, María Victoria married Pablo Escobar, making Mario his brother-in-law.

Mario’s ancestry traces back to Spanish roots from the Basque Country as well as Italian lineage. His religious beliefs were never publicly disclosed. Raised in a modest household, Mario became involved in the drug trade in the mid-1970s when Escobar provided him with a cocaine processing lab.

This marked the beginning of his role in the Medellín Cartel, where he rose to prominence as a trusted associate and strategist. He was even rumoured to have advised Escobar on kidnappings used to pressure Colombian authorities.

The lives of Mario and his sisters were deeply shaped by their ties to Escobar’s criminal empire. While Pastora largely lived outside the spotlight, María Victoria’s marriage to Escobar placed her at the center of cartel life.

Mario’s story ended violently on November 23, 1989, when he was killed during a Search Bloc raid at the “El Oro” farm in Cocorná, Colombia. He was shot from an armed police helicopter, a dramatic death that underscored his central role in one of the world’s most infamous cartels.

Pastora Henao Bayen

Pastora Henao Bayen, the lesser-known sister of Mario Henao Vallejo and María Victoria Henao, remains one of the most obscure figures in the history of the Henao family.

She was born to Carlos Henao Vallejo and Leonor Zuleta in Palmira, Valle del Cauca, Colombia, and raised in a modest household alongside her siblings.

Unlike Mario, who became a trusted associate in Pablo Escobar’s Medellín Cartel, and María Victoria, who married Escobar in 1976, Pastora largely stayed out of the public eye.

Pastora, however, appears to have avoided the spotlight, maintaining a low profile and distancing herself from the cartel’s violent legacy.

María Victoria Henao

María Victoria Henao, born in 1961 in Palmira, Valle del Cauca, Colombia, is best known as the wife of Pablo Escobar, the notorious leader of the Medellín Cartel. Her life story is deeply tied to Escobar’s rise and fall, making her one of the most recognized figures among the Henao siblings.

She met Escobar at just 13 years old through her brother, Mario Henao, who was already connected to the young drug trafficker. Despite an 11-year age gap and her parents’ objections—who opposed Escobar’s criminal ties and lower social standing—María Victoria fell in love with him. Defying her family, she eloped with Escobar, and the couple married in March 1976 when she was 15 and he was 26.

Their marriage lasted 17 years and produced two children: Juan Pablo Escobar (later known as Sebastián Marroquín), born in 1977, and Manuela Escobar, born in 1984. Life with Escobar was marked by extremes—lavish wealth and comfort on one side, but danger, violence, and betrayal on the other.

While María Victoria often described Escobar as affectionate and generous, she also endured his infidelities, including a public affair with journalist Virginia Vallejo, and the constant fear surrounding his criminal empire.

In her 2019 memoir, Mrs. Escobar: My Life with Pablo, María Victoria gave a rare personal account of their relationship. She depicted Escobar as both a loving husband and a deeply flawed man, acknowledging his crimes but insisting that her focus remained on raising their children and protecting her family.

After Escobar’s death in 1993, María Victoria and her children became targets due to his legacy. They fled Colombia, seeking refuge in Germany and Mozambique before finally settling in Buenos Aires, Argentina, under assumed identities. María Victoria used names such as Victoria Henao Vallejos and María Isabel Santos Caballero during this period.

In 1999, she and her son Sebastián were briefly arrested in Argentina on suspicion of money laundering, though both were later released for lack of evidence. Since then, she has largely avoided public attention, living quietly in Buenos Aires with her son and Escobar’s mother.

Her financial situation today is modest compared to Escobar’s vast fortune, most of which was confiscated by authorities. Her estimated net worth stands at around $554,000, a sharp contrast to the billions once under Escobar’s control.