Three young women have been buried with throats slit with signs of torture found in a shallow grave in Ecuador.
The bodies of the missing young women were discovered last week along the Esmeraldas River near Quininde, Ecuador. The women were identified as Nayeli Tapia, 22, Denisse Reyna, 19, and Yuliana Macias, 21.
The gruesome discovery was made by local fishermen who saw a dog sniffing the ground along a riverbank. They alerted officials after also noticing a foul stench.
Police officers were called to the scene where they exhumed and uncovered the bodies of the young women from the shallow grave.
Their bodies were all bound, their throats slit and their mouths covered, local news in Esmeraldas province reported.
The women were identified as Nayeli Tapia (right) Denisse Reyna (center) and Yuliana Macias (left)
The gruesome discovery was made by some fishermen who saw a dog sniffing the ground along a riverbank, where they also smelled a foul stench
Their bodies were bound, their throats slit and their mouths covered, media in Esmeraldas province reported. Pictured: Denisse Reyna, 19 (left) and Nayeli Tapia, 22 (right)
Diego Velastegui of Quininde police told local media: “They were young, had beachwear, bathing suits, light clothes, shorts.”
Nayeli Tapia, Denisse Reyna and Yuliana Macias had left their homes in Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas — more than 50 miles (more than 80 miles) from where they were found — after heading to the beach on April 4.
After they failed to return or make contact, their families reported the three girls missing later that day.
Crime scene investigators say the women were tortured and had their throats cut.
The victims’ families have said they do not know the friends their relatives would meet.
Preliminary research suggests that the women were murdered on April 5 in the rural town of Malimpia, Quininde parish.
Investigators reportedly identified the rental car that allegedly drove the young women to the crime scene.
Yuliana’s aunt, Paulina Rueda, told local media: “All we want is justice, and if the public knows, they must report who is responsible for this horrible murder, because it is three murders in one day.”
Next to the bodies, police officers found a mobile phone, which they hope to use to solve the case.
Police officers were called to the scene, where they exhumed and uncovered the bodies of the young women from a shallow grave
The victims, aged between 19 and 22, are named Nayeli Tapia (pictured), Denisse Reyna and Yuliana Macias
Preliminary research suggests that the women were murdered on April 5 in the rural town of Malimpia, Quininde parish. Pictured: 19-year-old Denisse Reyna
Victim Nayeli, 22, grew up in Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas but lived in Quito. She worked as a model.
21-year-old Yuliana studied singing and performed with the band Las Diablitas.
The youngest of the women, Denisse, 19, studied Agricultural Engineering at Quevedo State Technical University.
The grieving Paulina told local media that she and other family members have been threatened for demanding justice.
She said, “I will hold out to the last consequences, despite the fact that my life has been in danger since yesterday.”
She has pleaded with the public not to link the young women’s deaths to drug trafficking.
The victims were buried on Sunday 9 April.