Argentine Victims of Live-Streamed Murder Laid to Rest Ahead of Nationwide Protest

Grief-stricken and in tears, relatives on Friday laid to rest two women and a teenage girl whose live-streamed torture and murder sparked outrage across Argentina, where activists are planning weekend demonstrations against femicide.

The victims were identified as:

• Morena Verdi, 20
• Brenda Del Castillo, 20, cousin of Morena
• Lara Gutierrez, 15

Their bodies were discovered on Wednesday, buried in the yard of a house in a southern suburb of Buenos Aires, five days after they went missing.

Authorities confirmed that the crime, linked to narco activity, was broadcast live on Instagram and viewed by 45 members of a private account.

Investigators reported that the girls, believing they were going to a party, were lured into a van last Friday night. Officials allege this was a punishment for violating a gang code and a warning to others.

Police uncovered the Instagram broadcast after one of the four detainees – two men and two women – revealed its existence under questioning, according to Javier Alonso, Security Minister for Buenos Aires Province.

Footage reportedly captured horrific acts:

On Friday, dozens accompanied a mourning procession to a cemetery outside Buenos Aires:

• Verdi and Del Castillo were buried together in a private ceremony
• Gutierrez was laid to rest in a separate location

Antonio Del Castillo, grandfather of Brenda and Morena, told AFP: “I went to where the two little coffins were, side by side, and there I was able to cry more, and I promised them that I would find out who did this, because they destroyed the bodies.”

He added:”Holding a wake for a family member with the coffin closed is very painful for me, very painful.”

Federico Celedon, cousin of Morena and Brenda, emphasised:”They were with the wrong people at the wrong time, and that’s all. They had nothing to do with it.”

Brenda had a one-year-old son, who will now be cared for by his grandparents.

Rights organisations have called for nationwide protests on Saturday under the banner: “There are no good or bad victims, only femicides.”

This slogan appears to respond to reports suggesting the victims may have been involved in sex work.

Maria Eugenia Luduena, director of the NGO Presentes, commented: “We are talking about three very young women, one of them 15 years old, who, according to various reports, were summoned to an event related to sex work. The lack of work and the economic crisis we live in today affects women more,” allowing criminal networks to exploit them.

A lawyer for the youngest victim’s family, Gonzalo Fuenzalida, revealed that they had received death threats and will seek police protection.

Dozens of political, cultural, and social leaders have condemned the crime and called for an end to gender-based violence.

Authorities are still pursuing a man nicknamed “Little J” or “Julito”, believed to be the head of the gang responsible for the murders.