Two brothers found dead in Napo, Ecuador: suspected killer arrested
The bodies of Flor Aracely and Leodan Andi Alvarado, aged 11 and 8, were found in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Police detained Jerson Perugachi Grefa as the suspected perpetrator.
Two children reported missing in Tena found dead; one detained
Two brothers aged 8 and 11 reported missing on 30 October in the Ecuadorian Amazon were found dead on Thursday, according to infobae.com. The Public Prosecutor's Office and Interior Minister John Reimberg also confirmed the detention of a suspect.
The minors were identified as Flor Aracely Andi Alvarado, 11 years old, and Leodan Bolívar Andi Alvarado, 8 years old. They were last seen leaving their school in the Santa Rosa sector in Tena, the capital of the Amazonian province of Napo.
Minister Reimberg announced the arrest of Jerson Damián Perugachi Grefa as the alleged perpetrator of the homicides. "This murderer is now in prison. Know his name and his face," Reimberg posted on social network X, accompanying the message with a photograph of the detainee.
Following the missing persons report, security forces reviewed videos in which the children could be seen on a motorcycle. That was the last image of them alive. The chief of the Napo Police, Juan Carlos Mafla, stated that the arrest was made after receiving information about the suspect's whereabouts.
Mafla indicated that the detainee matches the characteristics of the person appearing in the video with the minors, who drove away with them in an unknown direction. He added that officers are maintaining contact with family members and that several lines of investigation remain open, although he declined to provide details given that the case involves minors.
On 1 November, the Public Prosecutor's Office had activated the Alerta Emilia, a search mechanism for missing girls, boys and adolescents that is activated only in high-risk situations. On Thursday, the same institution confirmed the discovery of the bodies.
Ecuador has been in a state of "internal armed conflict" declared by President Daniel Noboa since 2024, with the aim of intensifying the fight against criminal organisations blamed for an escalation of sustained violence. The measure has been accompanied by successive states of exception and night-time curfews in the most affected areas of the country. Despite this, in 2025 Ecuador recorded a record 9,284 homicides.
Source: Google News EC — Crime