Three young women in Ecuador were discovered buried in shallow graves with their throats slit and apparent signs of torture. The terrifying scene was discovered by fishermen who noticed a dog with its nose to the ground along the river bank. The authorities were subsequently alerted after they smelled a foul stench.
The Daily Mail reported that the three female bodies were discovered around the Esmeraldas River near Quininde, Ecuador. The three women identified were Denisse Reyna, 19, Nayeli Tapia, 22, and Yuliana Macias, 21.
When police officers were called to the scene, they uncovered the bodies that had reportedly been buried in shallow graves. The women’s bodies were tied up, their mouths covered, and their throats were slit.
The three women were said to have left their homes in Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas and were discovered over 80 miles away after they had left for the beach on April 4. Diego Velastegui, with the Quininde Police, told the media that the young women “had beach clothes, bathing suits, light clothing, shorts.”
The families of the three women contacted the authorities when they did not return home. The families also noted that they were not familiar with the friends that the women were supposed to meet.
Investigators have reportedly identified the rental car that was thought to bring the women to the crime scene, per the report. Initial reports suggest that the women were murdered in Malimpia, in Quininde Parish, on April 5.
Paulina Rueda, Yuliana’s aunt, said: “All we want is justice, and if the public knows, they should report who is responsible for this horrible murder, because it’s three murders in one day.”
A video shows one of the women while she was still alive, posted with the caption translated from Spanish, "A video is circulating on networks where one of the girls whose body was found buried along with 2 others near a river in Quininde province of Esmeraldas appears singing."
Paulina has reportedly been receiving death threats since demanding justice for the murder of her relative, saying: “I will stand until the last consequences, despite the fact that my life has been in danger since yesterday.”
Yulian’s aunt has urged people not to link the women’s death with drug trafficking.
