Buenos Aires, Sep 26 (EFE) – The three young women tortured and murdered on the night of Sep 19 in the province of Buenos Aires were buried on Friday, as Argentine authorities are still investigating the case, apparently linked to a drug gang.
Cousins Brenda del Castillo and Morena Verdi, both 20, were buried in the Las Praderas cemetery in Esteban Echeverría. Lara Gutiérrez, 15, was buried in the Campo Santo Park cemetery in González Catán.
Before arriving at the cemetery, the funeral procession of Brenda and Morena passed through the La Tablada traffic circle, where the two were last seen a week ago. Then, it passed through the building where they lived so neighbors and friends could bid them farewell.
Later, an intimate ceremony took place at the cemetery, attended by family, friends, and relatives.
In a second ceremony, the relatives of Lara Gutiérrez, the youngest victim, were surrounded by a crowd of neighbors.
After the burial, Morena’s mother, Sabrina del Castillo, told reporters that she is not satisfied with the investigation.
“It is unfair to leave two 20-year-old girls here. More could have been done,” del Castillo said.
The woman said that the family will fight for “all those responsible” to be arrested.
Ongoing investigation
On Wednesday, the lifeless bodies of the three young women, who had been missing since Sep 19, were found buried in the yard of a house in Florencio Varela, a town in the Buenos Aires province.
The women disappeared on Friday after being lured to a house with the promise of being paid $300 to participate in a “sex party.”
According to authorities, the women were captured and tortured by traffickers who live-streamed the abuse to 45 individuals through a private Instagram group. They were then killed, and their bodies were buried in plastic bags outside the residence.
Authorities suspect that drug traffickers committed the murders in retaliation for one of the victims stealing a package of cocaine from a dealer believed to be the leader of a criminal organization in the Villa 1-11-14 neighborhood.
So far, authorities have arrested two men and two women. Two of the detainees allegedly were hired by the criminal group to clean up after the killings.
Those arrested are Miguel Ángel Villanueva (27), Daniela Ibarra (19), Maximiliano Parra (18), and Magalí Celeste González (28). They have been charged with aggravated homicide but refused to testify on Thursday, and were transferred to the Melchor Romero prison in Buenos Aires Province.
Gastón Dupláa, the prosecutor in charge of the Instruction Prosecutor Unit No. 2 in Gregorio de Laferrere, referred the case to the Homicide Prosecutor’s Office of the La Matanza Judicial Department, led by Adrián Arribas.
Brenda’s mother said that the families of the victims were summoned on Friday afternoon to meet with Prosecutor Arribas.
Meanwhile, the feminist organization Ni Una Menos called for a mobilization on Saturday at 4 pm local time. The march will begin at Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires and end at Plaza del Congreso to demand justice for femicide victims. EFE
lgu/mcd