Authorities in the Dominican Republic are investigating the discovery of at least four decapitated women found near the country’s border with Haiti, according to the Associated Press (AP).
Police spokesman Diego Pesqueira said the bodies were discovered along the southern portion of the border shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti. All four victims were Haitian nationals.
However, Dominican authorities are formally investigating only one of the deaths, as just one body was recovered on Dominican soil. The remaining bodies were found on the Haitian side of the border, limiting the Dominican Republic’s jurisdiction in the case, Pesqueira said.
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What investigators believe happened
According to Dominican police, investigators believe the women were killed before their bodies were thrown into a river. The current is believed to have carried the bodies downstream, depositing them at different locations where they were later discovered, Pesqueira told reporters, as per AP.
Authorities have not disclosed where the killings are believed to have taken place, nor have they released the identities of the victims.
Pesqueira said one man was detained by Dominican authorities in connection with the case. The suspect denied involvement and was subsequently handed over to the Haitian National Police.
While violence linked to gangs has surged across Haiti in recent years, the discovery of decapitated women is considered unusual, AP reported. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Haiti has been facing humanitarian, political, economic and security crises that have severely impacted the population. Since January 2022, about 16,000 people have been killed, roughly 1.5 million displaced, and more than half the country’s population lacks reliable access to food.
The UNODC says powerful gangs now control large parts of Haiti’s territory and key infrastructure. Enabled by the steady flow of trafficked weapons, the groups have carried out widespread violence against civilians, including killings, kidnappings and sexual violence.