Three young Argentinian women were brutally raped, tortured, and murdered in a sickening live stream. Authorities revealed that the crime was carried out by suspected drug dealers who used social media to broadcast their cruelty to dozens of viewers.
The victims were identified as 15-year-old Lara Gutierrez, 20-year-old Brenda del Castillo, and 21-year-old Morena Verdi. According to investigators, the women were deceived into believing they would be paid $300 to attend an event, which was described as a “sex party”.
Police say they were specifically targeted as revenge for allegedly stealing cocaine from a local drug gang. Police believe the order to kill them came directly from the gang’s leader, a Peruvian national who has since fled Argentina.
The victims were last seen late Friday night entering a car willingly. The women went to a location just outside Buenos Aires, which is about 20 miles away from their residence.
The horrifying incident was filmed as a message of retribution. According to reports, one victim was suffocated with a plastic bag, another had five fingers severed, and all three were subjected to torture before being killed. Their ordeal was shared live with around 45 people in a private group on Instagram.
Their dismembered bodies were discovered five days later on Wednesday morning, buried in a garden and wrapped in plastic bags. Nearby, police found the vehicle that had transported them, torched and abandoned just a short distance from the house where the murders occurred.
Buenos Aires security minister Javier Alonso commented on the murders, saying, “They were trying to send a message: this is what happens to those who steal drugs from me.”
Police confirmed that four people, two men and two women, have been arrested so far. Among the group are two individuals allegedly tasked with cleaning up after the killings. Alonso said that the evidence obtained by police strongly suggests the women were murdered on the night they disappeared, between 11 p.m. and midnight.
The triple homicide has sparked outrage across Argentina. Relatives of the victims, along with feminist and human rights groups, have taken to the streets demanding justice and stronger action against organised crime.
The brutality of the murders has also raised concerns about the growing presence of drug cartels in Argentina. The country is unaccustomed to the levels of narco violence seen in other parts of Latin America.
According to reports, community leaders and activists warn that criminal groups are expanding their influence in impoverished neighbourhoods, exploiting poverty and lack of resources to gain control. They argue that when the state fails to provide protection and opportunities, gangs step in, leaving vulnerable young people at risk.