Genetic tests on burned bodies found near an Ecuadorian military base confirm they are four boys picked up by soldiers three weeks ago, officials said Tuesday.
The boys, between 11 and 15 years old, started protests in the South American country, which is involved in an armed struggle between narco gangs and security forces.
Saul Arboleda, Steven Medina, and brothers Josue and Ismael Arroyo were playing soccer in the western city of Guayaquil on December 8 when they went missing.
“The results of genetic forensic tests confirm that the four bodies found in Taura correspond to the three teenagers and a boy who disappeared after a military operation on December 8,” Ecuador's prosecution service wrote on the media social.
An unverified video released by the Ecuadorian Congress appears to show a group of soldiers putting one of the young people in a vehicle and beating him, while another is seen face down.
The Minister of Defense, Gian Carlo Loffredo, said that the soldiers, who had been on patrol, were responding to a request for help due to a robbery.
The military says the children were released the same night they were held and that gangs are responsible for their disappearance, the Associated Press said.
Cesar Munoz/AP
The incident caused widespread outrage in Ecuador, where kidnapping, extortion and murder are now commonplace.
The father of one of the boys said that his family received a call on the night of their disappearance when Ismael was called on the phone. The boy said he was chased, taken and beaten by soldiers.
Later, the relatives received two locations via WhatsApp, one in the town of Taura, home to a military airbase, and the other near a shrimp farm.
An anonymous caller told the family that criminals had taken the boys.
On December 24, the remains of four bodies were found near the Taura center, raising fears that they were the missing boys, although officials said at the time that DNA tests were needed.
The prosecution's statement on Tuesday confirmed that the bodies were of teenagers.
Authorities raided the Taura compound early last week and confiscated the phones of 16 soldiers suspected of involvement in the outbreak, as well as the vehicles used to transport the youths. to carry
On Tuesday, the soldiers – who were placed under military arrest – were ordered by a criminal court.
They are investigating the disappearance of the boys, who face up to 26 years in prison if convicted.
The soldiers claim that they had released the boys in the area after a short detention and that the four were alive and in good condition at that time.
The Ministry of Defense said in a statement on behalf of the government that “we are sorry” that it has been confirmed that the bodies are those of the missing teenagers.
“We reaffirm our commitment to the truth, so that this case is handled with complete transparency until we find those responsible for this murder,” he said.
Dozens of relatives, neighbors and protestors waving placards staged a protest outside the court demanding that the soldiers be jailed.
Santiago Arcos/REUTERS
Last January, President Daniel Noboa announced a a state of “internal armed conflict” following a brutal wave of violence, fueled by the impeachment of a powerful crime boss.
The move came after that gunmen clashed and opened fire in a TV studio and bands threatened to randomly execute civilians and security forces. There was a prosecutor investigating the attack later burn dead.
