Genetic tests on charred bodies found near a military base in Ecuador confirm they belong to four boys who were taken by soldiers three weeks ago, officials said Tuesday.
The disappearance of the boys, aged between 11 and 15, has sparked protests in the South American country, which is in the grip of armed conflict between drug gangs and security forces.
Saul Arboledo, Steven Medina and brothers Jasue and Ismael Arroyo were playing soccer in the western city of Guayaquil on Dec. 8 when they went missing.
“The results of genetic examinations confirm that the four bodies found in Taura correspond to three teenagers and a boy who disappeared after a military operation on December 8,” the Ecuadorian prosecutor's office wrote on social media.
An unverified video released by Ecuador's Congress shows a group of soldiers putting one of the minors in a car and beating him, while the other is seen face down.
Defense Minister Gian Carlo Lafredo said soldiers on patrol were responding to a call for help over a robbery.
The military says the children were released the same night they were detained and that gangs are responsible for their disappearance, the Associated Press reported.
Cesar Munoz/AP
The incident sparked widespread outrage in Ecuador, where kidnappings, extortion and murder are now commonplace.
The father of one of the boys said his family received a call on the night of their disappearance, during which Ismail was called. The boy said that they were chased by soldiers, caught and beaten.
The relatives later received two locations via WhatsApp, one in the town of Taura, home to a military airbase, and the other near a shrimp farm.
About the fact that the boys were taken away by criminals, the relatives were informed by an anonymous person.
On December 24, the charred remains of four corpses were found near the Tauri base, prompting fears that they belonged to the missing boys, although officials said at the time that DNA tests were needed.
A statement from the prosecutor's office on Tuesday confirmed that the bodies were teenagers.
Early last week, authorities raided the Taurus base and confiscated the phones of 16 soldiers suspected of involvement in the disappearance, as well as vehicles used to transport minors.
On Tuesday, the soldiers who were placed under military arrest were remanded in custody by a criminal court.
They are being investigated in the case of the boys' forced disappearance, for which they face up to 26 years in prison.
The soldiers claim that after a short detention they released the boys into the area and that at that time all four were alive and in good condition.
The Ministry of Defense said in a statement on behalf of the government that “we deeply regret” that the bodies were confirmed to be those of the missing teenagers.
“We reaffirm our commitment to the truth so that this case is handled with full transparency until we find those responsible for this murder,” the statement added.
Dozens of relatives, neighbors and activists with placards staged a protest outside the courthouse demanding the soldiers be imprisoned.
Santiago Arcos / REUTERS
Last January, President Daniel Noboa announced Fr state of “internal armed conflict” following a violent wave of violence caused by the prison break of a powerful crime boss.
The move came later armed men burst in and opened fire in the TV studio, thugs also threatened civilians and security forces with indiscriminate shootings. The prosecutor's office investigating the attack was later shot dead.