The authorities of the Mexican state of Baja California Sur have made available to a judge a man suspected of the femicide and rape of Dr. Ali Jasel Suárez Reyes, whose body was found on September 18 in a suitcase at a home in the Guaymitas neighborhood, in San José del Cabo.
The State Attorney General's Office identified the suspect as Martín Heriberto "N", who "is related to the crimes of femicide and rape." The 24-year-old man was arrested Friday in Guaymitas, the same neighborhood where the doctor had her apartment.
[Morelos prosecutor arrested on charges of obstructing investigation into Ariadna Fernanda López's femicide]
The body of Suarez Reyes, 31, showed signs of violence when it was found, and her femicide caused outrage in the state and much of Mexico, where protests have been called to demand justice.
Dr. Ali Jasel Suárez was 31 years old and worked at clinic 38 of the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS) in San José del Cabo, Baja California Sur.
Mexico has registered at least 500 alleged femicides between January 1 and July 31, 2023, according to official figures. Zero Impunity, an organization that investigates crimes against women, says the level of impunity in femicides in the country, where on average 10 women are killed a day, was 56.6% last year.
This is what is known so far about the case of Ali Jasel Suárez Reyes.
Who was Dr. Ali Jasel Suarez Reyes?
The doctor was a native of the magical town of Santa Rosalía, in the municipality of Mulegé in Baja California Sur. According to the investigations, she graduated as a doctor at the Autonomous University of Baja California and worked at clinic 38 of the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS) in San José del Cabo.
Suárez Reyes was highly regarded by her colleagues and the state staff of the IMSS, which triggered mobilizations during the past week, in which more than 300 people marched to demand clarification of her death.
"Justice! For whom? Dr. Suarez! For whom? Dr. Suárez!" was one of the slogans shouted during the protests.
"We have lost a very valuable friend, full of values, giving and hardworking, who always gave us all her inner love. We must be left with the consolation that Dr. Ali already rests in peace and that one day we will be able to meet her," her colleagues said in a tribute held at clinic 38, according to the newspaper Milenio.
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Even the governor of the state, Víctor Manuel Castro, spoke about the case: "It saddens and we regret very much her death and the way she was murdered, a femicide that we are investigating. I hope that soon we will have a response from the attorney general's office, and I join the pain of the family that must be suffering this situation."
How did they find the body?
Suarez Reyes had been missing since Sept. 16 after dating a friend. According to official sources cited by Infobae, the last contact with her was a message she sent through WhatsApp messaging, indicating that she had been "detained".
[Roxana Ruiz sentenced to 6 years in prison in Mexico for killing the man who was going to rape her: "Now you're going to die," he told her]
Three days after her disappearance, her own colleagues at the hospital searched for her in her apartment, where they found her body inside a suitcase on her bed.
According to the Mexican press, his body showed signs of violence. The newspaper Milenio points out that the young woman suffered sexual abuse and a concussion. He also had marks on his neck and a fracture in his trachea.
Who is the suspect?
According to local media reports, Martín Heriberto "N", 24 years old and a native of Sinaloa, was a neighbor of the doctor and came to work as a stretcher bearer in the same IMSS hospital in San José del Cabo.
After learning of the arrest of the suspect, the IMSS issued a statement stating that "the alleged perpetrator currently does not work at the institute."
Authorities are scheduled to hold a press conference on September 25 to publicize the progress of the investigation.
With information from Milenio, El Universal, Infobae and the Attorney General's Office of the State of Baja California Sur
