Thousands of people have taken part in an anti-femicide protest in Buenos Aires, demanding justice for Lara Gutierrez, a 15-year-old girl, and two young women, Morena Verdi and Brenda del Castillo, both 20, whose brutal killings have sent shockwaves across Argentina.
The victims' horrifying deaths were reportedly livestreamed on social media, raising alarms about gender-based violence in the country. Authorities believe a drug-trafficking gang may be behind the crimes, using the murders as a gruesome message to others.
As of now, five suspects - three men and two women - have been arrested, but the gang's leader, a 20-year-old Peruvian man, remains at large.
According to investigators, the victims were lured into a van under the pretense of attending a party, but it turned out to be a sinister plan rooted in gang retaliation for violating their codes.
During police questioning, one suspect revealed the existence of a video where a gang leader threatens, This is what happens to those who steal drugs from me. Authorities have distributed a photograph of the fugitive gang leader.
The bodies of the murdered girls were discovered buried in a backyard in a southern suburb of Buenos Aires five days after they went missing.
This tragedy has prompted relatives and friends to march to Parliament, emphasizing that women must be protected more than ever. Brenda's father, Leonel del Castillo, expressed his anguish, saying that he could not recognize his daughter due to the extent of her injuries. Antonio del Castillo, the grandfather of the two young cousins, condemned the brutality of the act, stating, You wouldn't do what they did to them to an animal. In Argentina, a woman is killed by a man every 36 hours, a stark reminder of the persistent issue of femicide in the country.