Galo O., Charged in Santiago Ávalos Case, Dies in Ecuadorian Prison Hospital

Galo Hernán O. G. died on Aug. 29 at the IESS Hospital in Cotopaxi while facing charges in the alleged murder of Santiago Ávalos. Ecuador’s National Service for Comprehensive Attention to Adults Deprived of Liberty, known as SNAI, confirmed the death but said the cause had not been established.

A medical-legal autopsy will determine the circumstances. A person close to the case, speaking anonymously, told the publication that the death may have resulted from an overdose. That account has not been confirmed by authorities.

Galo O. was one of five people placed in pretrial detention as investigators examined the killing of Santiago A., the financial manager of a university in Quito. The other defendants are María del Carmen S. V., Juan Pablo G. O., Juan Carlos G. T. and Josselyn Lisbeth V. C. Prosecutors linked all five to the alleged crime of murder.

Police arrested the group on July 9, 2026, during raids carried out with the Fiscalía General del Estado. Some searches took place on university premises. Investigators are examining the death of Santiago A., a 42-year-old Quito resident who was attacked on June 11 while driving along Oswaldo Guayasamín Avenue in the Miravalle area. Initial inquiries indicated that motorcycle-borne attackers intercepted him, and authorities are treating the case as a suspected contract killing.

A judge ordered pretrial detention for the five defendants during the charging hearing. The criminal case has entered the prosecutorial investigation stage, in which prosecutors will continue conducting examinations, taking statements and collecting other evidence to establish each person’s alleged role. The death of Galo O. occurred while those proceedings were still underway.