“They were quiet women”: community dismayed by double femicide in María Auxiliadora

Santo Domingo.- Shocked, silent, and still without answers, this is how the María Auxiliadora sector remains, after the murder of Elania Galarza, 35 years old, and her mother, Beatriz Reyes, 65, at the hands of an Army captain, who was later found dead. The victims were known in the neighborhood as quiet women, dedicated to their families and respected by the community.

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“We are in great pain, we didn’t even sleep last night, they were good neighbors. That girl grew up here in the neighborhood,” said Juana Pérez, a neighbor from the area.

The event occurred on Tuesday night. According to a family member, Captain Samuel Mora Alcántara, Elania’s ex-partner, arrived at the house, took the two children he had with her, and returned minutes later. Upon entering, he asked for Elania and, without a word, took the lives of both women. “We never had problems with them, they were helpful women,” mentioned Jacqueline González. The community is not only in mourning, but also outraged. They demand greater state attention to cases of violence against women and faster responses when a victim feels threatened. “They should pay more attention to the military who are so brutish and animalistic, the government must address those people, those old military personnel who are very aggressive,” expressed Fernanda Castillo. In 2025 so far, 27 women have been murdered by their partners or ex-partners in the Dominican Republic, according to official data. For this reason, two children were orphaned. The bodies of both women still remain at the National Institute of Forensic Sciences (INACIF).