Joel González died from head injury after jumping into river to evade police

A forensic autopsy has determined that Joel González, a Chilean dance instructor living in Ecuador, died from a severe frontal traumatic brain injury. The injury is believed to have occurred when he struck a rock while jumping into the Catarama River to evade a police patrol during a curfew in the Ricaurte parish of Urdaneta.

While the medical report found no gunshot or knife wounds, the circumstances remain a subject of debate. Witnesses reported hearing what sounded like gunshots before the incident. Consequently, the Ecuadorian Federation of LGBT+ Organizations and the Runa Sipiy Observatory have called for a thorough investigation, emphasizing that the absence of bullet wounds does not rule out the possibility of shots being fired.

González disappeared around 03:00 on Saturday, September 26, after encountering a National Police patrol. His body was recovered in the Santo Tomás sector after a 72-hour search operation conducted by the Urdaneta Fire Department and police personnel.