Melany Brigitte García Farías (27 January 1997 – 23 March 2024) was an Ecuadorian politician, nurse, and social worker who served as mayor of
San Vicente from May 2023 until her
assassination
Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have ...
.
She was a member of the left-wing
Citizen Revolution Party.
On 23 March 2024, García was shot and killed, along with an aide.
At the time of her death, she was the youngest mayor in Ecuador at 27 years old.
Biography
Melany Brigitte García Farías was born on 27 January 1997 in
Canoa
Canoa is a town in the Canton of San Vicente in the Manabí Province of Ecuador.
Canoa is located north of Bahía de Caraquez, Province of Manabí – Ecuador. Local stories and tales say that the natives of Canoa hid deep in the hills when th ...
. She was an educated nurse.
At the age of 15, García worked for a health services company.
She ran for mayor of San Vicente, at the age of 26, in February 2023, as a member of the left-wing
Citizen Revolution Party. She was elected with 4,943 votes (37.48%)
in a field of 8 candidates,
taking office in May 2023.
Tenure
García focused on improving the quality of drinking water, installing sewers, and boosting local tourism through beaches.
She also indicated that she planned to develop agriculture and the fishing industry in the region.
Death
During the late evening of 23 March 2024, García was shot dead alongside her director of communications, Jairo Loor Meza, in a vehicle. She was 27 years old.
During the evening of 23 March, her family raised concerns as to her whereabouts.
The bodies were found on 24 March at 1 am.
According to an autopsy they were killed on 23 March at around 11 pm, and according to police sources, they were shot from the backseat of a car in the neck and head. Jairo Loor Meza was shot first. They were both found to have had been shot multiple times.
Local media indicate that previously there had been no indications of threats and that the mayor did not have any police protection.
The killing followed on other violence against political figures in the area and the country.
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See also
* 2024 Ecuadorian conflict
On 9 January 2024, an armed conflict broke out in Ecuador involving Government of Ecuador, the country's government against several organized crime groups, most notably the Los Choneros cartel.
Reports of armed attacks throughout Guayaquil and ...
* Diana Carnero
References
1997 births
2024 deaths
21st-century Ecuadorian women politicians
21st-century Ecuadorian politicians
People murdered in Ecuador
Deaths by firearm in Ecuador
Assassinated Ecuadorian politicians
People from Manabí Province
Women mayors of places in Ecuador
2024 murders in Ecuador
Politicians assassinated in 2024
Ecuadorian nurses
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