HIGÜEY.– Berenice Cabreja de la Cruz, 27, passed away this Thursday after remaining hospitalized for ten days in critical condition due to the severe burns she suffered in an incident that occurred in the Anamuya sector, in the municipality of Higüey, La Altagracia province.
The young woman was receiving medical attention at the Nuestra Señora de La Altagracia General and Specialty Hospital (Hgensa), where she finally lost her life at 11:25 in the morning. According to the medical report, the cause of death was cardiorespiratory arrest resulting from second and third-degree burns affecting nearly 39% of her body.
After the removal of the body by the corresponding authorities, the remains were transferred to the National Institute of Forensic Sciences (Inacif), where the mandatory autopsy will be performed.
For this case, Amaurys Miguel García Rijo, known by the alias “Circuito,” is being held in preventive detention, as he faces a judicial process for his alleged connection to the events.
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The incident occurred on July 20th. That day, both the victim and the accused were taken by units of the 9-1-1 National Emergency and Security Response System to the health center after suffering burns.
At first, García Rijo claimed that both had been injured as a result of a fire that occurred in the home where they were staying. However, while receiving medical attention, Berenice offered a different version to the authorities, asserting that her partner had physically assaulted her and subsequently doused her in gasoline before the fire broke out.
The young woman’s statements led to an investigation headed by the Specialized Directorate for Attention to Women and Intrafamily Violence (Deamvi), with the support of agents from the Regional Sub-directorate of Investigation (Dicrim).
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During the investigations, the investigators collected testimonies that support the Public Prosecutor’s hypothesis. Among them is that of a witness who claimed to have seen the accused assault the victim and handle a bottle that allegedly contained gasoline moments before the fire started.
With the passing of Berenice Cabreja de la Cruz, the judicial process could change its legal classification as investigations progress and the Public Prosecutor’s Office determines the corresponding legal actions.
