All we know about Sofía Vergara’s murdered brother, Rafael: the Modern Family star’s sibling was killed by a Colombian cartel in 1996, and she says his death informed her portrayal of Griselda Blanco

The impact of her brother’s death was devastating. She said it “destroyed my mom. It changed our lives completely. We didn’t know what was happening, why he had been killed.”

Vergara said that after watching the documentary Cocaine Cowboys: The Kings of Miami in 2006, she learned about Blanco’s links between Colombia and Miami.

Where is Sofía Vergara from?

According to her IMDb profile, 52-year-old Vergara was born and raised in the lively city of Barranquilla, Colombia. Her mother, Margarita Vergara Dávila, is a housewife, while her father, Julio Enrique Vergara Robayo, works in the meat industry. Per the same bio, she went to private school, and went on to study dentistry until she was discovered by a photographer at a beach and began her modelling and acting career.

How many siblings does Sofía Vergara have?

Vergara is one of six siblings. Although they are very private, Vergara did open up to the Daily Mail about how her other brother was severely impacted by Rafael’s death. “My other brother, who was very close to him, became an alcoholic and then a crack addict because of the trauma,” she said.

What happened to Sofía Vergara’s brother Rafael?

According to Metro, Vergara’s brother Rafael was murdered on the streets of Bogota in 1996 when he was just 28 years old.

“We come from a successful family, and he knew he was a target for kidnapping,” Vergara told the Daily Mail. “He always had bodyguards. Then one day he went out alone and was shot dead [in a kidnapping attempt]. I was devastated.”

In the same interview she explained that “unfortunately, in Colombia at that time, the tentacles of narco traffic were everywhere,” and that “everything was touched by it.” She added: “My brother was a nice guy – a good guy. But he took a wrong decision and unfortunately he paid for it. We all paid for it.”

She moved her family to the US

After the death of her brother, Vergara made the decision to move her family – her mother, sister and younger brother – to the States to live with her, per Variety. “It was hard, because I had to take responsibility for my whole family,” she told the publication.

She once called out Perez Hilton over his reporting of her brother’s death

Back in 2013, it was reported that her brother’s case had been reopened by the authorities – but the actress snapped back at the claims.

“This is not news. This is disrespectful,” she posted on X at the time, linking gossip site Perez Hilton’s article about the rumoured investigation. “We already know everything we need to know about my brother’s death.”

It seems Hilton learned his lesson, as he’s since removed the post and responded to Vergara’s tweet at the time, writing: “@SofiaVergara I’m sorry you found this disrespectful. It was written with compassion and not meant to offend. Truly.”