The mayor of Lórica, Córdoba, a town in northern Colombia, has decreed this Sunday three days of mourning for the macabre murder of Edwin Arrieta Arteaga, the surgeon dismembered on an island in Thailand by Daniel Sancho, son of Spanish actor Rodolfo Sancho . “Lorica is shaken by the painful episode surrounding the death of surgeon Edwin Arrieta, to his family a huge and considerate hug; May God provide strength for such an irreparable loss. Peace in his grave, ”wrote Jorge Negrete López, mayor of Lorica, on his Twitter account.
Arrieta Arteaga was born and raised in Lórica. His father, a man who was dedicated to fixing radios and televisions, and his mother, a retired school teacher, still live in the municipality. Arrieta, who passed away after turning 44, visited them frequently. The local authorities organized a mass in the central church of the town and expressed their solidarity with the family of the deceased: “The municipality of Lorica and Córdoba in general deeply regret what happened to the doctor Edwin Arrieta, a person very dear to the community. God allow the facts to be clarified and the culprit determined, with our voice of condolence for his family.
Throughout the afternoon of Saturday, the relatives of Arrieta Artega released a statement in which they affirm that for now they will not refer to the facts so as not to interfere in the investigations of justice. “The family of Dr. Edwin Arrieta is allowed to inform the media, and the community in general, that we refrain from providing any type of statement on the facts surrounding the unfortunate event of our family member. The foregoing so as not to hinder the investigation and diplomatic protocol that is being carried out by the official organizations of the states immersed in these events.”
The Foreign Ministry, for its part, explained that according to the preliminary information provided by the Colombian Consulate in Bangkok, “investigative work is being carried out in order to determine the causes of death of compatriot Edwin Arteaga in the coastal town of Koh Pha Ngan (Thailand)”. According to the Government of Gustavo Petro, the Colombian Consulate “established contact with the Thai authorities in order to obtain confirmation of the circumstances surrounding this criminal act and appreciated the support provided by the Royal Thai Police in the investigative work that allowed with the capture of the suspect.
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--The Foreign Ministry issued a statement stating that from the moment the situation became known, “the consulate made itself available to the victim’s family in order to provide the required assistance, which has been provided within the scope of than the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations of 1963 and remains attentive to the development of the investigation carried out by the Thai authorities”. The family hopes that the repatriation of the plastic surgeon’s body will be carried out as quickly as possible.
Arrieta Arteaga lived in the El recreo neighborhood in Montería, capital of the department of Córdoba. For 10 years he had been practicing as a plastic and reconstructive surgeon, and was dedicated above all to performing aesthetic operations on women in Colombia and Chile. She was popular on social media. In her private Instagram account she had more than 20,000 followers and in her office, where she showed the operations she performed, she had more than 15,000. The doctor was a member of the Colombian Society of Plastic, Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery (SCCP).
In statements to Caracol Television, Emilia María Jattin, a friend of Arrieta Arteaga, affirmed that the murdered doctor “was always an excellent man; excellent son, brother, unconditional”. “Something important to highlight is that he was a man who fought to materialize his dreams and achieved it by being an excellent professional,” Jattin said, adding: “In Lórica we remember him as a happy person, as the person who always had a vision of being someone great in life and he achieved it by being a recognized surgeon”. The town’s priest, Manuel Montes, also expressed his rejection of the crime: “These are very unfortunate events, painful from every point of view. These are things that are against the dignity of life.”
Meanwhile, the renowned Spanish actor Rodolfo Sancho, father of the confessed murderer Daniel Sancho, spoke for the first time before public opinion and asked for “maximum respect” for his eldest son, according to the EFE news agency. “These delicate moments and maximum confusion require privacy,” said the actor. In addition, he called on all the media to “refrain from issuing any hasty judgment about the events that occurred in Thailand and to show due respect to all those involved.” And he requested that information not be provided that in the given case “could interfere in the development of Justice and in the correct procedure of the investigation, as well as any diplomatic action that could be in progress.”
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