The dismembered remains of a missing “millionaire” crypto influencer have been found in a suitcase in Argentina just weeks after his disturbing latest posts described “bad people” who wanted to “destroy” him.
‘Neatly chopped’ body parts of 41-year-old Fernando Pérez Algaba were found in an abandoned red suitcase by two football-playing children in a stream in Ingeniero Budge, Buenos Aires, on July 23.
Algaba’s body, which had suffered two bullet wounds, was found days after he was reported missing on July 19.
At the scene, detectives reportedly found the victim’s legs and a forearm in the briefcase before finding a complete arm in the stream. A torso was then seen and his head was found in a backpack.
The body parts were neatly amputated, suggesting that the mutilation could have been performed by a professional.
A four-letter tattoo on one hand confirmed the remains belonged to Algaba, with fingerprint analysis later providing further confirmation.
According to the autopsy, Algaba, nicknamed ‘Lechuga’ (lettuce) and reportedly in debt, was murdered with two shots that penetrated his back area, according to the Argentine agency Telam.
A murder investigation has been launched and one suspect has reportedly been arrested.
The mutilated body of missing Fernando Pérez Algaba, 41, was found days after he posted a series of cryptic messages about ‘bad people’
Algaba had 918k followers on Instagram where he flaunted his luxurious life of high end cars, jet skis and exclusive parties
Two children found the abandoned suitcase containing his riddled body while playing football near a stream in Argentina’s Ingeniero Budge on Sunday, according to a report
A suspect was arrested and appeared in court on Thursday after detectives discovered it was their briefcase that had been used in the murder. The luggage is thought to have been taken from their home, but it is unclear if they are related to the attack.
According to local media, Algaba had sent and received more than 200 audio and text messages of a hostile nature.
Algaba was reportedly threatened by a man demanding repayment of a debt of nearly $70,000, claiming that Algaba was “toxic” and “betrayed him.”
“I’m not going to kill you, I’m going to do something worse to you, I’m going to gouge out your eyes and cut off your hands so you can’t have any more money in your life,” one of the posts said according to Telam.
Further reports referred to two other men to whom Algaba allegedly owed money.
Algaba had also accumulated ‘bad debts’ with the Argentine tax authorities when his company, Motors Lettuce SRL, struggled financially.
The businessman left a note on his phone admitting that he had lost a significant amount of money after investing in crypto. La Nacion reported.
A four-letter tattoo on one hand confirmed that the remains belonged to Algaba, who was found in this red suitcase
Algaba (left) started selling sandwiches at the age of 14, but later made a fortune investing in cryptocurrencies and the stock market
Algaba described himself as an investor who also sold and rented luxury vehicles
Algaba had 918k followers on Instagram where he flaunted his luxurious life of high end cars, jet skis and exclusive parties.
But before his death, he had posted a series of disturbing messages on social media.
One of them showed the heavily stained businessman in a car with an accompanying audio recording and said, “It’s unbelievable that there are such bad people in the world that while you think of helping them, they think of destroying you.”
Another audio clip said, “Hello Mum, I needed to clear my head as always. And from here I realize two things: that we cannot escape problems and that problems will follow us.”
It is unclear when the murder took place, but a woman told authorities that she had arranged with him on July 19 to return the keys to the apartment he had rented to her, but he had not shown up.
The businessman described himself as an investor who also sold and rented luxury vehicles.
But Algaba was reportedly under financial and legal strain, with one of its businesses not even having a tax identification number, another being reported for fraud and a third in debt.
His creditors had also pursued him in recent years, filing lawsuits against him over bad checks.
Algaba lived in Miami in the US until early this year when he traveled to Spain. He had returned to Argentina shortly before his assassination
Algaba had registered several companies through notaries in recent years
According to local media, Algaba had a rags to riches backstory.
He sold sandwiches and delivered pizza in his hometown before buying vehicles to repair and resell. He later made a fortune investing in cryptocurrencies and the stock market.
By the time he was 24, he had a huge warehouse full of luxury vehicles.
Algaba once said in an interview: ‘I used to travel a lot to Paraguay to buy tires; they were much cheaper than in Argentina.
“This allowed me to fix up the cars and resell them for a better price.”
In recent years he had registered several companies through civil-law notaries.
He lived in Miami in the US until early this year when he traveled to Spain. He had returned to Argentina shortly before his assassination.