Cecilia Cubas Gusinky, the daughter of former

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Raúl Cubas Raul, Raúl and Raül are the Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish, Galician, Asturian, Basque, Aragonese, and Catalan forms of the Anglo-Germanic given name Ralph or Rudolph. They are cognates of the French Raoul. Raul, Raúl or Raül may re ...

and Senator Mirtha Gusinky, was found dead on February 16, 2005, underneath a house near

Asunción Asunción (, , , Guarani: Paraguay) is the capital and the largest city of Paraguay. The city stands on the eastern bank of the Paraguay River, almost at the confluence of this river with the Pilcomayo River. The Paraguay River and the Bay of ...

, nearly five months after she was

kidnapped Kidnapped may refer to: * subject to the crime of kidnapping Literature * ''Kidnapped'' (novel), an 1886 novel by Robert Louis Stevenson * ''Kidnapped'' (comics), a 2007 graphic novel adaptation of R. L. Stevenson's novel by Alan Grant and Ca ...

. Cubas was the third kidnapping victim officially recognized in a decade in Paraguay.

Kidnapping

Cubas, 32, was abducted by gunmen two blocks from her home in Asunción on September 21, 2004, sparking a massive search by security forces who hoped to rescue her alive. Residents of Asunción had plastered "Free Cecilia" signs on buildings, houses and cars. Cubas' father, the former president, a wealthy businessman who governed for less than a year between 1998 and 1999, paid a ransom of US$800.000 for his daughter's release in November 2004 after negotiating with her captors through e-mail. The kidnappers had initially demanded $5 million. However, they later told her father that the payment was merely a fine and cut off all communication.

Discovery of body and aftermath

Her naked body was found in an underground chamber connected to tunnels running under the house and due to the state of decomposition had to be identified by a dental exam. Her mouth and nose had been covered with adhesive tape and she had been buried alive. Cubas and his wife, along with then President

Nicanor Duarte Frutos Óscar Nicanor Duarte Frutos (born 11 October 1956) is a Paraguayan politician who served as President of Paraguay from 2003 to 2008. In 2013, President Horacio Cartes appointed Duarte as Ambassador to Argentina, a diplomatic posting he held fro ...

, accompanied police to the site where the body was found. Among the information that was later released regarding the kidnapping of Cubas, was the fact that the kidnappers had received training and support from the

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

n terrorist group FARC (

Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People's Army ( es, link=no, Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de ColombiaEjército del Pueblo, FARC–EP or FARC) is a Marxist–Leninist guerrilla group involved in the continuing Colombian confl ...

); the support of this group came via the "foreign minister" of the FARC,

Rodrigo Granda Ricardo González also known as Rodrigo Granda is a Colombian Venezuelan, member of Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). He has served as international spokesman of the guerrilla organization. He currently faces criminal charges in Paragu ...

. Osmar Martínez from the PPL (

Partido Patria Libre Partido Patria Libre (lit. ''Free Homeland Party'', PPL) is a far-left Marxist–Leninist communist party in Paraguay. It defines its goals as " Marxist–Leninist, socialist patriotist, and anti-imperialist." History The PPL was founded by fo ...

), who was arrested as the main suspect for this crime, was the link with Granda. The investigation into the kidnapping was conducted with the help of the Colombian attorney general's office.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cubas, Cecilia 2000s missing person cases 2005 murders in Paraguay 2005 deaths Female murder victims Formerly missing people Kidnapped Paraguayan people Kidnappings in Paraguay Missing person cases in Paraguay Paraguayan murder victims People murdered in Paraguay 1973 births

Kidnapping

Discovery of body and aftermath

See also

References