Two of the three young women reportedly sent messages to loved ones warning that they were in danger hours before going missing on a beach trip and being brutally murdered in Ecuador.
One was rendered as “I have a feeling that something is about to happen.”
After going missing on April 4, Nayeli Tapia, 21, Yuliana Macias, 21, and Denisse Reyna, 19, were discovered on April 7 with their throats slit in a shallow grave.
On April 5, it is thought that they were tortured, killed, and buried. A few days later, local fishermen called the police after noticing a foul smell and a dog sniffing around the Esmeraldas River near Quininde.
According to the Ecuadorian news outlet Vistazo, which spoke with the victims’ friends and family, Tapia, the mother of a 4-year-old daughter, sent her sister a WhatsApp message at 11:10 p.m. on April 4 with her live location and the message “I’m just sending you just in case.” She vanished without a trace.
According to the publication, the location was close to where the three women’s bodies were discovered.
Reyna sent a friend the following message just hours before she vanished: “I feel that something is going to happen and if something happens to me, remember that I love you very much.” Vistazo added.
Their three buried bodies were discovered with their mouths covered and tied up, according to local media. They also showed signs of having been tortured.
According to Diego Velastegui of the Quininde Police, “They were young, had beach clothes, bathing suits, light clothing, and shorts.”
Their residence was 49 miles away from the scene of their demise.
Their three buried bodies were discovered with their mouths covered and tied up, according to local media. They also showed signs of having been tortured.
According to Diego Velastegui of the Quininde Police, “They were young, had beach clothes, bathing suits, light clothing, and shorts.”
Their residence was 49 miles away from the scene of their demise.
Macias was a singer, Tapia was a mother and Reyna was an agricultural engineering student.
Macias was reported to have wanted to pursue a second career in psychology or law and travel, while Tapia wanted to move to Spain with her daughter, and Reyna to the United States with a friend, both in search of better opportunities.