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Homicide Probes Advance Across Argentina With Arrests in Merlo and Viarnes Cases, Hotel Deaths Under Review

Police and prosecutors report new detentions and forensic leads as phone data, DNA testing and scene work drive parallel investigations in Córdoba, Buenos Aires and Mendoza.

Overview

  • Córdoba police arrested a man suspected of involvement in the dismemberment and killing of 26-year-old Camila Merlo, with prosecutor Eugenia Pérez Moreno overseeing ongoing forensic work and interviews.
  • In the shooting death of Juan Francisco “El Francés” Viarnes, three people were detained in Greater Buenos Aires—including an evangelical pastor and two women—after witness testimony and cellphone-antenna data, while the pastor’s brother remains a fugitive.
  • A 41-year-old woman, Gisela Mercedes Yurka, and her 7-year-old son were found dead in a room at the Ker Hotel in Recoleta; there were no signs of forced entry, the case is with Fiscalía N°59 under Laura Belloqui, and autopsies and seized items such as syringes and insulin vials will guide the inquiry, with a homicide–suicide scenario reported as under evaluation.
  • In Maipú, Mendoza, a resident’s dog brought home a human skull, prompting a homicide probe; police later found an additional bone believed to be from a leg, and genetic testing was ordered to establish identity and time of death.
  • Separately, a man was detained in Córdoba on suspicion of unlawful deprivation of liberty in the abduction of Tania Suárez, authorities arrested a 51-year-old suspect in the killing of Érika Álvarez in Buenos Aires, and investigators reported the principal suspect in Valeria Schwab’s femicide was found dead as DNA tests were ordered.