Femicides in Córdoba and Retiro: suspect arrested over double killing of sex workers
Iván Renato Tabella was arrested in Buenos Aires for the femicide of Daniela Villalba in Córdoba and is being investigated for the death of Tatiana Micaela Fernández in Retiro.
Suspect in two femicides linked by an application arrested in Buenos Aires
Iván Renato Tabella, 27, was detained in the early hours of Monday at a hotel located three blocks from Congress in Buenos Aires. The arrest was carried out through a joint operation involving officers from the Córdoba Police and the Buenos Aires City Police. Tabella is the main suspect in the femicide of Daniela Villalba, 29, which occurred in the city of Córdoba, and is also being investigated for the death of Tatiana Micaela Fernández, 27, found dead in an apartment in the Retiro neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. According to rosario3.com, security camera footage, autopsies and analysis of communications were key pieces in reconstructing the suspect's flight.
The Córdoba crime: a message that raises questions
Villalba lived alone in an apartment in the Cofico neighbourhood in Córdoba city and worked independently through an application, according to sources cited by TN. On the Tuesday before the arrest, the young woman contacted a friend to invite her to share some maté and finish reading together the philosophy book El mundo de Sofía. When the friend was preparing to go, she received a message from Villalba asking her to wait ten minutes because she had a client.
Shortly after, another message arrived indicating that she had finished and the friend could come over. The friend went to the apartment but no one answered at the door. Investigators suspect that the last message may not have been written by the victim, but by whoever was with her at that time.
One of the central mysteries of the case is why the perpetrator would have sent that message to the friend. For now, investigators have been unable to establish what happened in those minutes or who wrote the last communication.
Flight reconstructed through cameras and mobile phone antennas
Images from the building's security system recorded Tabella leaving the building alone with a suitcase. Using those images, investigators tracked his movements through police surveillance domes and commercial cameras in the area.
During his route, the suspect abandoned the suitcase in the city centre. A waste collection truck picked it up shortly afterwards and, when workers began to compact the rubbish, they noticed blood coming from the bag. They immediately alerted the police.
The search continued with analysis of other security cameras, but at a certain point officers lost track of the accused. Given that situation, they began searching the area with photographs to ask neighbours. One of them provided crucial information: the suspect's telephone number. With that information, authorities requested records from mobile phone antennas, whose analysis established that Tabella's device had been at Córdoba bus station and that he had purchased a ticket bound for Buenos Aires.
Second crime in Retiro while suspect was at large
While Tabella remained at large, Tatiana Micaela Fernández was found dead this Sunday in an apartment in Retiro, covered with a sheet. Like Villalba, she worked as a sex worker and had been contacted through an application. Her body showed no visible signs of violence, but the autopsy confirmed she had been murdered.
The exchange of information between investigation teams in Córdoba and Buenos Aires City allowed them to identify possible similarities between the two cases: the victims' profession, contact through an application, and the fact that both were found covered with a sheet. These elements led to further investigation to determine whether the crimes are linked and what Tabella's involvement may have been in Fernández's death.
Causes of death confirmed by autopsies
Preliminary autopsy results established the causes of death of both victims. Daniela Villalba died from her throat being cut: her body showed an extensive cutting wound to the neck when it was found. Tatiana Micaela Fernández, meanwhile, died from "mechanical asphyxia by compression". The examiners also detected defensive injuries on Fernández's wrists, an element that will be considered as the investigation progresses.
Next judicial steps across two jurisdictions
The cases will proceed with pending forensic evidence and psychological and psychiatric evaluations planned for the accused. Tabella is also expected to be called to make an investigative statement.
His transfer to Córdoba will require completion of the corresponding judicial procedures between both jurisdictions. Given that the suspect was arrested in Buenos Aires City, the prosecution will need to manage the necessary procedures for him to be placed at the disposal of the Córdoba courts, which are investigating Villalba's femicide.
As judicial measures progress, investigators will seek to clarify the circumstances of both crimes and determine whether there is a direct connection between the incidents.
Source: Google News AR — Buenos Aires