Two French Girls Murdered in Argentina
Two French girls were brutally slain in Argentina, in the province of Salta. The story appears at many English-language and French sites, as well as local Argentinian sources. The girls were students at the Institut des hautes études de l'Amérique Latine, a school for advanced studies on Latin America. Their bodies were found on July 29 near a hiking path, but it appears they had been kidnapped much earlier and killed on or about July 25. Cassandre Bouvier, 29, and Houria Moumni, 24, both endured physical torture and execution-style killings. One suspect was arrested and released. Francisco Ariel Tejeda complained that he had been the object of violence on the part of police who were trying to force him to confess to the crime:
"I do not have weapons in my house, I don't even have a slingshot to hunt birds," he sobbed. According to Argentinian media, two more suspects were arrested and released over the weekend.
First reports indicate that Cassandre Bouvier was killed by a bullet in the head after being raped in an extremely violent manner. A chunk of her killer's hair was in one of her hands as well as a considerable amount of sperm, two crucial DNA pieces of evidence.
A high ranking police officer told the paper Clarin that "it was evident that the girl who had been raped was executed on her knees. The shot was close range, from top to bottom. The victim, therefore, was watching her assassin. The other girl, who witnessed the death of her friend, tried to flee, but the criminal shot her in the back from a distance of one yard.
The same paper, citing legal sources, revealed that Houria Moumni agonized for several hours. "Before being shot, Miss Moumni was struck, and resisted being raped. After a confrontation with her killer, she managed to escape and began to run on a wooded and hilly path but she fell face down, her killer arrived and shot her in the back. A hemorrhage kept her in an agonizing state for several hours until her death, probably at dawn the next day," the report stated.
I do not know much about Argentina, or about the safety of a place such as Salta province. Readers' comments seem to indicate that the police are "corrupt" and the proximity to Bolivia may be of some importance in this case. Nor do I know all the details - did the two girls go off by themselves into a lonely area? Were there no guides to accompany them? No one heard screams? Are there crime statistics for this area of Argentina?
I suppose it's best to stay in a larger group. Or not to go at all. I'm sure everyone feels a sense of horror at what those girls endured.
posted by tiberge @ 11:29 PM
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9 Comments:
There is a land occupation movement in North Argentina and the police is brutally repressing the occupiers. Foreigners that are not within some organized group are naturally suspect. Why the French Foreign Ministry does not advise travellers?
@ J
Your question is completely justified. I checked the French government warnings to travelers in Argentina, and found that, even though the province of Salta is not mentioned, there is ample information about crime, drugs, and counterfeiting. They warn you not to be deceived by the false sense of security at the Buenos Aires airport, since the country does indeed have a great deal of crime. They warn about drugs, saying that sometimes criminals are drugged which can result in sudden unpredictable acts.
My feeling is that the two girls, especially the older one who had made this trip before, were aware of possible dangers, but as so many people do, they assumed they were knowledgeable enough to avoid the pitfalls. It also sounds as if the killer was drugged, from the extreme savage brutality. Maybe he thought the girls had drugs on them?
In my comment I forgot to post the link to the French government site:
http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/conseils-aux-voyageurs_909/pays_12191/argentine_12200/index.html
We don't need to be carried away by paranoia, nor sensationalism. The province is a peaceful province, crime is very low and petty; however the close proximity to Bolivia, the drug trade, the illegal immigration tends to bring in unpalatable flotsam. The tourist places are quite safe too. This tragic incident is most unfortunate. Having said that the two girls should never have ventured on their own in the remotest corners of the valleys and hills. In the deserted areas it is risky since it is the roads and corridors the drug traders, illegal immigrants and other bandits will use for the entry into Salta. This is the first tragic case of this nature. The police have apprehended 4 more suspects. The first one the police grabbed , was a humble journeyman , a gardner and partime horse rider for tourists. He was released , he had nothing to do with the case. I regret to say that two women on their own in an adventure to a remote and inhospitable spot is tempting fate and is high risk. This tragic episode will unecessarily tarnish the image of tourism in the province and it is undeserved
@ anonymous,
Thank you for your comment. I agree that they were foolish to go off like that, but I'm still not sure how it all happened. The latest is that six people have been arrested, including a policeman, his wife and father-in-law, and the weapon has been retrieved. They also arrested the man who sold the gun.
When it comes to crime prevention and self-protection, a little paranoia is not a bad thing. But of course you're right that we should not allow unfounded fears prevent us from traveling.
I understand that the suspects are actually guides and caretakers of the park. If this is the case, it is very disturbing.
I haven't had time to do an update, but I see that the latest article in Le Figaro indicates that the girls were actually killed on July 15, several days earlier than they originally thought. The cold weather prevented the bodies from decomposing. As for the suspects, it is indeed disturbing. Two of the men admit to sexually assaulting the girls but insist they did not kill her. They name the killer as Daniel Octavio Vilte Lasi, a 24-year old mason. So, it is possible that the girls did not go off alone, that they went with these people, one of whom is a guide, and were raped and murdered. The article says the suspects pretended at first to be helping the police and possibly covered up some evidence in the process.
The bodies have been returned to France.
Hello, I´m from Argentine and in my opinion this was another horror case, a murder made by psychopaths, that could have taken place anywhere else in the world. All bad things that have happened, are happening and are gonna happen in the world just make me feel like I dont wanna live in this planet anymore. My respects.
It is just a prove that we have to be more careful from those bad people out there.
Horse Medication
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