Overview
- Officers on a pre-dawn patrol near Villanueva in Naranjal discovered two sacks containing eight human heads alongside pamphlets reading “Prohibido robar.”
- Police said the victims were male and indicated the killings likely occurred elsewhere, with initial information pointing to neighboring Manabí.
- The remains were taken to the Naranjal morgue for legal and scientific analysis to establish identities, and authorities have not reported any arrests.
- Officials are examining links to territorial disputes and drug trafficking networks that have driven violence across Ecuador’s coastal provinces.
- The case follows a January 11 incident in Puerto López where five heads were publicly displayed, as Ecuador ended 2025 with roughly 9,200 homicides despite a 2024 internal armed conflict declaration.