Family of Missing Woman Plans Protest in Quito After One Month

The family of Lizeth Bunshi is organizing a protest in Quito to mark one month since her disappearance, expressing frustration over the lack of progress in the search for the 28-year-old stylist and mother.

Bunshi vanished on the afternoon of July 18 in Quito. Search efforts, including specialized teams from the Fire Department, have focused on the Machángara River area, where she was last seen. A man has been detained as part of the investigation into her disappearance.

Norma Bunshi, Lizeth's sister, announced the protest for August 19 at 4:00 PM in the Cumandá sector, near the Machángara River ravine, the last known location. Norma stated that the family feels the support from the Fire Department, police, and other authorities has diminished, prompting their call for community mobilization.

"We don't know anything about my sister, only that one Tuesday a slipper of hers was found; it's anguish and desperation, we don't know if this guy threw her into the ravine," Norma Bunshi said, highlighting the family's deep distress. They are also requesting a review of surveillance cameras and clearing of vegetation in the ravine to aid the search.

Preliminary investigations suggest Bunshi may have had an argument with her partner before being with a friend. Security footage from July 19 shows her entering the Machángara River ravine with Cristian Gonzalo V. L., the detained suspect. A witness reported hearing threats and cries for help from Bunshi, and three individuals reportedly told the family that the man pushed her into the river. The Prosecutor's Office is preparing charges against Cristian Gonzalo V. L. for alleged involuntary disappearance.