Venezuelan girl found in Bogotá sewer: ex-partner of her sister arrested
The body of Ana Lucía González, 8 years old, was found in Ciudad Bolívar. José Rojas Larez, 29 years old, was detained as the main suspect.
Suspect arrested in homicide of Ana Lucía, Venezuelan girl found in water conduit in Ciudad Bolívar
According to infobae.com, Colombian authorities arrested José Rojas Larez, 29 years old, identified as the alleged perpetrator of the death of Ana Lucía González Mendoza, an eight-year-old Venezuelan girl whose body was found on Tuesday, 15 September inside a water conduit in the Juan José Rondón neighbourhood, in the Ciudad Bolívar district in southern Bogotá.
The girl's family reported her disappearance on Monday, 14 September in Mosquera, Cundinamarca. Ana Lucía had travelled from Venezuela to spend holiday time with her sister Rusmery González and was scheduled to return to her country to resume fourth grade of primary school.
A dispute and a motorcycle
The events began at an apartment in the Porvenir Río sector, where a dispute occurred between Rusmery González and Rojas Larez, who was her ex-partner. According to the information known, the man caused damage to the property and then took Ana Lucía on a motorcycle without authorisation from her sister.
Rusmery González went to the CAI Porvenir del Río police station to report what had occurred. The family questioned why police had not immediately activated the search protocol. The Mosquera Municipal Government indicated that the location was carried out under the Urgent Search Mechanism and the Pink Alert, with participation from authorities and residents of the area.
The body was discovered when children who were near a hillside alerted authorities to the presence of remains inside the sewer. Police members, the General Prosecutor's Office, the Technical Investigation Corps (CTI) and the Official Fire Department attended the scene. Legal Medicine received the remains to determine the cause of death.
Security cameras, key to identifying the suspect
Investigators reviewed video surveillance systems in the Porvenir Río sector and coordinated efforts with authorities in Fontibón. This work made it possible to identify Rojas Larez as the last person seen with the girl. The images are also believed to have helped reconstruct the route followed by the suspect after leaving Mosquera with the child. The authorities have not publicly disclosed how Ana Lucía's body ended up in the water conduit in Ciudad Bolívar.
Rojas Larez was arrested in front of the Paloquemao Immediate Reaction Unit, where he had presented himself voluntarily to give a statement regarding the disappearance. When he arrived, there was no arrest warrant against him, but the document was issued whilst he was at the location.
"I had suspicions about him"
Rusmery González told Caracol Radio that Rojas Larez was the last person to be with her sister before her trail went cold. "I had suspicions about him and now it has become clear that it was indeed him because he was the last person with whom the girl was seen," she stated to the broadcaster.
González explained that she had ended the relationship with Rojas Larez approximately four weeks before the incident. Monday's conflict had allegedly originated from jealousy and led to a dispute inside the apartment. "My ex-partner had taken my documents, my belongings and my mobile phone," she detailed to Caracol Radio.
The victim's sister stated that she demanded the man leave the property on several occasions, but he refused. She added that she had planned to travel to Venezuela during that week, which is why she did not alert other people immediately. "I did not alert anyone because I had plans to travel to Venezuela, to return this week," said González.
For Rusmery González, the decision to take the girl could have been linked to the end of the romantic relationship. The sister raised this possibility as a personal hypothesis and not as a judicial conclusion. She also said she did not know how Ana Lucía's body ended up in the water conduit in Ciudad Bolívar, a point that remains without official answer.
Investigation ongoing
Rojas Larez's arrest represents progress in the investigation, although his criminal responsibility must be defined by the justice system. The Prosecutor's Office must establish his possible involvement in the events and the exact circumstances of the girl's death.
The authorities are keeping the proceedings open whilst awaiting the results from Legal Medicine. The forensic report will be decisive in establishing the cause of Ana Lucía's death and guiding decisions within the criminal proceedings.
Source: Google News CO — Crime