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🇻🇪 Venezuela /Crime & Justice

Ecuador Confirms Bodies Found Are Eight Missing Youths

From El Nacional · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • Police confirmed that eight bodies found in a tropical area of Ecuador belong to eight young men reported missing since May 31.
  • The young men had traveled to Milagro to collect motorcycle documents and lost contact with their families.
  • Authorities are investigating the cause of death, with initial findings suggesting they were shot in the skull.

Ecuadorian authorities have confirmed that eight bodies discovered in a tropical region of the country are those of eight young men who had been missing since May 31. The confirmation came from police and the victims' families after the discovery of the remains in the province of Los Ríos.

The group of friends had traveled to the coastal city of Milagro, in Guayas province, with the stated purpose of collecting documents for a motorcycle. Following this, all contact with their families was lost. Three days later, their bodies were found on a road in Los Ríos province, prompting an immediate investigation by the Fiscalía (Prosecutor's Office).

The eight bodies found in a tropical area of Ecuador correspond to the young men who had been reported missing since May 31.

— Police and families of the victimsConfirmation of the identity of the discovered bodies.

Colonel Galo Muñoz, commander of Zone 5, stated that by Thursday afternoon, seven of the eight bodies had been identified. He indicated that an "alternative identification technique" would be used for the final victim before handing all remains over to the families. The bodies were returned to their relatives on Thursday night, who then transported them to their hometown of Daule.

The men died from gunshot wounds to the skull, as they had entry and exit holes from the bullets.

— Colonel Galo MuñozThe commander of Zone 5 described the preliminary findings regarding the cause of death.

Colonel Muñoz reported that the men died from gunshot wounds to the skull, with evidence of both entry and exit wounds. Police and the Armed Forces have offered a reward for information leading to the capture of those responsible for the "massacre of the eight young men" found in Babahoyo, the capital of Los Ríos. Images of suspects have been released.

This incident occurs amidst a broader context of rising violence in Ecuador. President Daniel Noboa declared a state of "internal armed conflict" in 2024 to combat criminal organizations. Despite these measures, the country recorded a record 9,281 homicides in 2023, equating to a rate of over 50 per 100,000 inhabitants.

Information about the perpetrators of the massacre of the eight young men.

— Police and Armed ForcesAnnouncement of a reward for information related to the crime.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by El Nacional in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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