Ecuador student Nathaly Mafla found dead in Quito ravine, sparking gender‑violence outcry

Nathaly Mafla, a 20‑year‑old engineering student at the Escuela Politécnica Nacional in Quito, vanished on 4 June after leaving a bathroom. Five days later, on 9 June, her body was recovered from a remote ravine in the La Vicentina neighborhood, about twenty metres deep. Authorities have not confirmed the cause of death, though speculation includes a possible scopolamine incident.

The case has intensified public debate over the high incidence of disappearances and femicides in Ecuador. Between January and April 2026, 513 missing‑person reports were filed in Quito, with a 75 % resolution rate but a 4.69 % fatality rate; women comprise 50.65 % of those reported missing. In 2025, 411 women were killed for gender‑related reasons, yet the prosecutor’s office classified only 55 of 775 female homicides as femicides. Protesters have criticized the state’s response as delayed and bureaucratic, quoting a banner that read, “Después de 72 horas ya no me buscan viva, me buscan muerta.”