What happened to Lizeth Bunshi before her trail went cold in Quito?

The search for Lizeth Bunshi, who disappeared in Quito on July 18, 2026, continues as authorities focus on the Machángara River. Investigators have pieced together Bunshi's final known movements using security camera footage and witness accounts, tracing her path from El Triángulo in the Los Chillos valley to an entrance of the Machángara River near the Cumandá park roundabout.

Bunshi reportedly left a home in El Tingo on Saturday, July 18, intending to meet her boyfriend and others. However, contact was lost, and a missing person report was filed the following day. Initial investigations led search teams to the area around the old Cumandá bus terminal and La Marín, where witnesses observed Bunshi entering a ravine accompanied by a man.

Further details emerged as the Prosecutor's Office identified two homeless individuals residing near the ravine. These witnesses provided statements indicating they heard a dispute between a young woman and a man on the afternoon of July 19. They reported that the woman was asking for help while the man, seemingly intoxicated, dragged her down a slope. The witnesses recalled hearing a cry of "Help!" followed by silence.

According to the witnesses, the man later emerged from the ravine crying, stating that his friend had fallen into the river. They advised him to contact the police. Approximately four hours later, the man returned to the scene with police and firefighters, reportedly having changed his clothes and no longer smelling of alcohol. During the search near the Machángara River, Bunshi's family found a shoe they recognized, though authorities have not yet confirmed if it belongs to her. Bunshi, a 29-year-old stylist and mother of a nine-year-old son, was last seen wearing specific clothing, according to the Prosecutor's Office alert.

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