The torture and killing of two young women and a teenage girl, live-streamed on social media to an audience of dozens, has sent shockwaves through Argentina and triggered protests across the country.
Thousands took to the streets this weekend to demand justice for the three victims – cousins Morena Verri and Brenda del Castillo, both 20, and Lara Gutiérrez, 15 – whose bodies were found buried in a Buenos Aires suburb on Wednesday.
Investigators believe they were killed five days earlier following a dispute with a drug gang. According to Buenos Aires provincial security minister Javier Alonso, their torture and murder was broadcast live through a private social media group to around 45 people.
Six people have been taken into custody, Buenos Aires Governor Axel Kicillof said Monday, describing the case as a “narco-femicide.” Investigators are still looking for six more suspects, he added.
Authorities believe the women were lured to the house in Florencio Varela, about 25 kilometers south of the Argentine capital, believing they were to attend a party, but once there were confronted and accused of stealing drugs.
The footage of their killing includes the voice of what appears to be a gang member saying, “This is what happens to anyone who steals drugs from me.”
Alonso said it was possible that the victims had previously encountered the drug gang and the killings were motivated by “revenge” but added that police were still trying to establish the details of that encounter.
People participate in a demonstration in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on September 24. – Adan Gonzalez/EPA/Shutterstock
While police are still investigating the motive, feminist organizations have seized on the deaths as highlighting the country’s problems with gender-based violence. Many of the banners at this week’s protests have carried such messages as “Stop killing us” and “Not one less.”
According to data from the Casa del Encuentro, a civil organization that defends women’s rights, 164 women were killed in Argentina in the first eight months of 2025.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday, the mothers of the three women demanded justice.
“I want them all behind bars,” Brenda’s mother Paula said in tears. “They tore my daughter away from me. My daughter was a good girl. And none of these three girls deserved to end up how they did.”
CNN’s Michael Rios and Isa Cardona contributed to this report.
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