The shock over the triple femicide of Brenda del Castillo (20), Morena Verdi (20), and Lara Gutiérrez (15), whose bodies were found dismembered in a house in Florencio Varela, grew even more in recent hours after a chilling detail emerged: the crime was broadcast live on Instagram and was watched by at least 45 people.
The information was confirmed by Buenos Aires Province Security Minister Javier Alonso, who explained that the broadcast took place within a closed group on the social network, as part of an act of intimidation linked to a criminal organization dedicated to drug trafficking.
In an interview with Todo Noticias, Alonso stated that the video content showed the crime as an exemplary act within the mafia logic.
"Yes, it was through Instagram, for a closed group. This is the information we gathered in the investigation. The perpetrator said: "This is what happens to those who steal drugs from me." The entire torture session was broadcast on social media," the minister said.
The chilling broadcast, which according to sources in the case may have lasted several minutes, was conceived as a message of internal discipline within the gang. "It was an act of warning, not only for the victims, but also for other members of the criminal group," Alonso emphasized.
The key detail may have emerged during interrogations of the detainees, one of whom confessed details about the mechanism of the crime and the live broadcast.
Who are the detainees and what is known about the operation?
Ya son al menos cuatro los detenidos confirmados en el caso
There are four people detained in the case, charged with triple aggravated homicide. They are:
Miguel Ángel Villanueva Silva, 27 years old, Peruvian national
Iara Daniela Ibarra, 19 years old
Andrés Maximiliano Parra, 18 years old
Magalí Celeste González Guerrero, 28 years old
All were arrested after the bodies of the three young women were found buried in the backyard of a house in Florencio Varela, a place they reportedly arrived at under false pretenses, according to the investigation. "They believed they were going to attend an event," Alonso said.
The strongest hypothesis points to a "mexicaneada": the young women may have been involved, directly or indirectly, in the theft of drugs or money from the gang, which triggered the brutal retaliation. Security cameras showed that on Friday night the three victims voluntarily got into a white van in La Tablada, from where they were taken to the crime scene.
