Discovery of dead women in Elías Piña could be an intimidating message from Haitian gangs, warn lawmakers

They advocate for strengthening border security and clarifying the event

Santo Domingo.- Faced with the discovery of decapitated women’s bodies in the La Caña River, in the province of Elías Piña, legislators expressed their concern about the security situation in the border area and warned that these deaths could be an intimidating message from the Haitian gangs that maintain control in Haiti.

The senator from El Seibo province, Santiago Zorrilla, stated that, in his opinion, these crimes seek to intimidate, even if the events occurred in Haitian territory, placing the bodies in the river so that they reach the Dominican Republic as a message of intimidation and demonstration of influence. He insisted on the need to find a formula to clarify the origin of the crime and, at the same time, guarantee tranquility to the Dominican people, making it clear that these events did not occur on national territory and highlighting the work of the Dominican military in protecting the border. “I understand that these are the Haitian gangs trying to intimidate, even though they died on Haitian territory. That is a very complicated situation for you to be able to speak to a country that has no authorities and is controlled by vandals for more than 70%, but we have to find a way to know and clearly convey that the Dominican Republic knows that it is well protected,” added the legislator.

In that sense, Senator Guillermo Lama agreed with Zorrilla that it could be a way of intimidating not only the Dominican Republic, but also to make themselves visible to the world because those who are intervening in Haiti are the United Nations Organization (UN), which supports the Gang Suppression Force (GSF), co-sponsored by Panama and the United States as urgent international support for the multidimensional crisis that has been developing in Haiti over the last few years.

“We cannot deny that the border still has weaknesses. It is a way of intimidating and not only the Dominican Republic, through the Dominican Republic, making itself visible to the world, sending a message because those who are intervening in Haiti are the UN and they are giving them a response through the way where they can make those threats visible,” said Lama. For the deputy Elías Wessin Chávez the background of those beheadings could be linked to voodoo rituals that are performed in Haiti. “That seems to me like what would be a voodoo rite, if it was on the border with more reason, it is a speculation that I am making but here there are many things that we have to solve from the root like uncontrolled migration because rare events occur. Here we need security”, he pointed out. Finally, the president of the Human Rights Commission of the Chamber of Deputies, Pedro Martínez, stated that he would be willing to conduct a survey in this area if necessary and to make contact with the deputies, legislators and the senator of Elías Piña in order to pursue this crime by the corresponding authorities.

“Whoever it may be, crime has no nationality. The crime where it is committed and who commits it is nothing more than a criminal. Therefore, it must be pursued. The authorities must investigate that,” he maintained.

The deaths occurred between November 29th and January 17th. Only one of the 3 bodies found was located in Dominican territory, while the other two were found on the Haitian side of the border, as part of the ongoing investigations into the case.

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Both the acting institution and the Public Ministry specified that the events are related to the operation of a criminal network that operated in the Haitian border area, dedicated to recruiting women through deception.

The authorities reported that one of the alleged members of the network was apprehended by the Army. This is the Haitian Chin Laduse who was apprehended on January 27, hidden among bushes on the banks of the river, along with his minor son. According to preliminary reports, this criminal structure contacted its victims through the social network Facebook and other mechanisms, offering them false promises of relocation to different countries. The authorities continue to deepen the investigations to identify those responsible and completely dismantle the network involved.