A daughter witnessed the tragic murder of her parents and a long-time employee at their family farm after hiding under a truck during an armed attack in El Oro, Ecuador.
In a horrifying incident that unfolded on February 13, a daughter in El Oro, Ecuador, found herself hiding beneath a truck as armed men attacked her family. The attackers, dressed in clothing resembling police uniforms, arrived in a red pickup truck, prompting her 82-year-old father, Pedro Jacinto Romero Peralta, to come out and engage them, believing they were genuine authorities. Unfortunately, this trust was met with violence as gunfire erupted almost instantly after he descended from the building.
Her mother, Frecia Marianela Espinoza Benavidez, 52, also fell victim to the shooting after she hurried out upon hearing the gunfire. The daughter helplessly watched the brutal slaying of both her parents and Holger Geovanny Panezo Coertez, a long-time worker on the family farm, who had been with them for over 20 years and met a similar fate as he attempted to respond to the crisis.
This tragic event raises serious concerns about safety and violence in rural areas of Ecuador, particularly regarding organized crime and the treatment of landowners and their workers. The apparent targeting of the family introduces a stark commentary on the growing tension and dangers associated with living in regions affected by criminal activities, leaving communities to grapple with fear and loss in the wake of such horrific acts.
