Autopsies show Guayaquil boys were shot before their bodies were burned; Cuenca homeless camps are dismantled; More rain predicted; Expat arrested

Autopsies of the bodies of four Guayaquil boys illegally detained by a military patrol in December confirmed that they were shot in the head before they were set on fire in a mangrove swamp near Taura.

The lawyer for the Permanent Committee on Human Rights (CDH), Fernando Bastias, said that autopsies reveal that “the strategy of burning the bodies was intended to hide any evidence.” Bastias added that the shots were fired while the three teenagers and the child were still alive. “They were shot from behind at medium range. This was an execution.”

A homeless man pulls a mattress up an embankment on the Rio Tomebamba Saturday, while a member of the Citizens Guard carries a backpack. (El Mercurio)

Bastias also confirmed that one of the teenagers had a blunt force injury to the left side of his head. This detail is consistent with the account given by the key witness who lent the cell phone to the minors on the night of December 8, when they disappeared.

Bastias criticized forensic investigators and prosecutors for not announcing a definitive cause of the boy’s deaths. “We have the autopsy reports that shows the victims have bullet residue in their skulls, but they have still not accepted this as how the boys died,” he said. “Why the ambiguity? What more proof do they need?”

The investigation of the deaths is scheduled to conclude Monday, but it is unclear when a final report will be presented.

Although members of the military unit that picked up the boys near a football field in Guayaquil are the chief suspects, attorneys for the soldiers claim the boys were alive when they were left beside a road in rural Taura. Juan Borrero, one of the attorneys, says the boys were murdered by gang members worried that one of the boys revealed gang secrets to authorities.

Cuenca homeless camps dismantled
At least seven encampments of homeless people were dismantled over the weekend. The operation was conducted jointly by the Cuenca Citizen Guard, the Municipal Public Cleaning Company (EMAC) and the private NGO Project Life.

According to the Citizen Guard Commander Alfredo Tosi, most of the actions were carried out under bridges on the Tomebamba River. “The number of robberies in the vicinity of the bridges, particularly near the University of Cuenca campus, Colegio Ciudad de Cuenca (Balzay) and Pumapungo has increased in recent months and this action was taken to protect the public.”

During the removals, Tosi said knives, liquor and illegal drugs were confiscated, along with clothing, mattresses, cardboard and other material.

A spokeswoman for Project Life said the organization’s participation was based on humanitarian concerns. “Some of the people removed are sick, suffering from substance abuse and malnutrition,” she said. “We have referred the most extreme cases to organizations that can provide psychological and housing assistance.”

Rainy weather to continue
The Meteorological Institute (Inamhi) on Sunday predicted more rain through the coming week. In a bulletin, it said rain would affect the entire country but will be heaviest in the coastal litoral and southern sierra regions.

On Sunday, light to moderate rainfall was recorded over most of the country, with Cuenca and Loja experiencing localized flooding.

Inamhi said that rising Pacific seawater temperatures were fuelling the heaviest rainfall. “The flow of humid air continues from the Amazon and it is meeting warm air from the ocean, which increases rainfall totals. We expect this scenario to continue through April 4 and possible beyond,” the institute said.

In Cuenca, the most severe flooding occurred in Sayausi and along Av. Ordóñez Lasso.

Expat arrested
A 62-year-old U.S. citizen was arrested Friday night on a charge of sexual exploitation of minors. According to police, James Allen W. was with a 13-year-old girl and 15-year-old boy at his home in Puertas del Sol when he was taken into custody.

Police and prosecutors seized cameras, two computers, a cell phone and a bag of cocaine at the time of the arrest.