Former drug addict turned influencer Nicol Rescata found shot dead in Ecuadorian factory next to bottle of gasoline, leaves four-year-old daughter behind
Former drug addict turned influencer Nicol Rescata found shot dead in Ecuadorian factory next to bottle of gasoline, leaves four-year-old daughter behind
- Nicol Montenegro was found shot dead next to a rice mill near a warehouse in Guayas, Ecuador, on Saturday
- The 23-year-old was known on social media as Nicol Rescata – she had recovered from drug addiction and used her experience to motivate other addicts
- The young woman, who leaves behind a four-year-old daughter, announced in June that she was pregnant
An influencer who changed her life after becoming addicted to drugs was murdered in Ecuador.
Nicol Montenegro, 23, was found shot dead near a warehouse in Yaguachi, a town in the Pacific coastal province of Guayas, on Saturday.
According to the Ecuadorian newspaper El Universo, the young woman was found face down and shot multiple times in the head.
Warehouse workers told authorities they were sleeping inside when they heard multiple shots around 3:30 a.m.
Workers found Montenegro’s lifeless body next to a rice mill about 500 meters from the building on Saturday afternoon.
Nicol Montenegro, mother of a four-year-old girl, was found shot dead in Guayas, Ecuador, on Saturday. The 23-year-old used her recovery from drug addiction to become a social media influencer motivating young people to stay away from narcotics
Nicol Montenegro was known on social media networks as Nicol Rescata because of her work with drug addicts
According to the authorities, the suspects left a bottle of petrol and a box of matches with the body.
It is believed that workers prevented the suspects from setting Montenegro’s body on fire after turning on the lights.
Police had not reported any arrests as of Thursday afternoon.
Montenegro became a social media darling after recovering from her battle with drug addiction several years ago.
Nicol Rescata pictured on her way to a drug rehabilitation center several years ago
Montenegro, who leaves behind a four-year-old daughter, revealed in June that she was pregnant
Nicol Montenegro is developing a following on her social media networks for posting videos of her visits and motivational talks with young people recovering from drug addiction
She later used her own experiences to prevent young people from falling on the same path.
She developed a strong following on YouTube and TikTok, where she had over 80,000 followers, posted videos of her visits and motivational talks with recovering addicts.
Montenegro was mother to a four-year-old girl and took to Facebook in June to reveal she was pregnant.
Her family identified her body at a local morgue and transported it to Los Rios province, south of the country’s capital, Quito, and held a funeral service in her hometown of Babahoyo on Sunday.
Ecuadorian artist Jeyder Rescata, who was also recovering from drug addiction, lamented Montenegro’s death.
“They don’t know how this news has affected me,” he wrote on Instagram. “You had changed so much for the better, my girl, what happened.”