More than four people may have been involved in the young mum’s kidnapping and murder, police have said, with a $62,000 reward on offer for information that helps locate the baby and those responsible
The gruesome slaying of a 21-year-old pregnant woman has sent shockwaves through an entire city, with the body of the young mum found dumped beside a river with her baby nowhere to be found.
María Camila Potosí was eight months pregnant when she was last seen riding on the back of a motorcycle in Polvorines, a town in the southwestern city of Cali in Columbia last week. She was declared missing on July 16 and, after days of searching by her family and by authorities, she was found by a the banks of the River Meléndez.
Her body had been discarded after she was stabbed to death, with her baby nowhere to be found; cut from her womb.
As per local radio station La FM, the baby was reportedly to be named Alahia and had been expected to be born in August. A baby shower was planned just days before the horrific tragedy unfolded.
Confirming the discovery of María’s remains, Cali Police deputy head of criminal investigations Maj Alirio Acuna said: “The body of a pregnant woman was found at kilometre 3 on the La Buitrera road, specifically on the banks of the River Meléndez. Preliminary findings suggest that the physical characteristics and clothing match those of the 21-year-old woman who had been reported missing since last Thursday, July 16.”
María was last spotted climbing onto a motorbike with an unidentified woman who, at the time of writing, remains unknown. According to Noticias Caracol, María had just attended an appointment at the Los Polvorines health centre in southern Cali before boarding the motorbike that was recorded on CCTV.
Discussing María’s appointment just hours before her tragic death, Ladera Health Network manager Diana Carolina said: “It was a routine consultation, in line with clinical practice guidelines.
“She arrived at our healthcare centre at around 9am. She entered the consultation room alone and underwent the necessary check-up.”
María’s mum Ana Rubi Gomez has made a desperate plea for her granddaughter’s safe return, urging the public to assist in locating the missing infant.
She revealed to La FM: “The first thing I asked was whether the baby was still in her womb, and they told me no, that the baby wasn’t there.
“That filled me with hope that the baby might still be alive. So I’m asking the public and the community to help me find my little girl.”
Potosí was at her boyfriend’s home when they say when she received a phone call from a woman later identified in a video as driving the motorcycle. The family said that Potosí told them that she was going with the woman to pick up gifts for her baby. She had recently met the woman at a Cali center for expectant mums.
On Friday (July 24), a man named Carlos Rincón posted a video on social media in which he identified himself as the female suspect’s former boyfriend and revealed that she did not return to sleep at his home the day that Potosí disappeared.
He added that his ex-girlfriend told him in January that she was pregnant. “I was excited about (her) pregnancy,” he said.
“And many people think I had something to do with it — the kidnapping and murder of the 21-year-old woman — because I had been the motorcyclist’s partner.
“We had nothing to do with it. We knew nothing. My family was another victim. We trusted her, we believed in her.”
After María’s body was discovered, the Cali Ombudsman’s Office has demanded a swift and thorough probe into her death. Additionally, they’ve stressed the urgency of tracing the missing infant immediately in case she remains alive.
Officials reportedly stated that the post-mortem findings confirming the baby’s removal “makes it even more urgent to clarify the facts and locate the newborn baby”.
They continued: “As the Public Prosecutor’s Office, we call on the Attorney General’s Office and the relevant authorities to carry out all investigative measures as swiftly as possible and to put in place the necessary measures to locate the baby, ensuring the protection of her life and safety.
“We also urge members of the public to provide any information through official channels that may assist the investigation. Every minute counts.”
Investigations into María’s death are ongoing.
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