Monica Luzuriaga death investigated as possible femicide in Quito
Monica Paulina Luzuriaga Velasco, a 38‑year‑old employee of Ecuador's Ministry of Education, was reported missing on 27 July 2026 after leaving work in the Iñaquito district of Quito. She was last seen around 19:30 near Juan González and Atahualpa streets, riding a black Scott bicycle while wearing a red helmet, a black windbreaker and blue jeans. Her disappearance triggered alerts from the National Police, the Fiscalía General del Estado and the Ministry of the Interior, and the ministry issued an internal communiqué expressing condolences to her family.
The following day, 28 July 2026, her body was found without life in a hostel in the north of Quito. The investigation has been assigned to the Unidad Especializada en Violencia de Género and is being pursued as a presumed femicide under Ecuador's National Protocol for Investigating Femicide and Other Violent Deaths of Women and Girls. Her husband, Carlos Molina, told media that she had been under considerable work overload and had experienced a hostile, possibly harassing, environment at her job.
Entities: Carlos Molina · El Labrador · Fiscalía General del Estado · Iñaquito · Ministry of Education (Ecuador) · Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture of Ecuador · Monica Paulina Luzuriaga Velasco · National Police of Ecuador · Quito
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 3 SOURCES] She was last seen around 19:30 near Juan González and Atahualpa streets in Iñaquito. (new)
- [● 3 SOURCES] She was riding a black Scott bicycle, wearing a red helmet, a black windbreaker and blue jeans. (new)
- [● 2 SOURCES] Her body was found on 28 July 2026 in the El Labrador sector of Quito.
- [● 3 SOURCES] The Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture issued an internal communiqué expressing condolences. (new)
- [● 3 SOURCES] National Police, Fiscalía General del Estado, and Ministry of the Interior issued alerts for her disappearance. (new)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Monica Paulina Luzuriaga Velasco, 38, Ministry of Education employee, was reported missing on 27 July 2026 after leaving work in Iñaquito, Quito. (new)
- [● 2 SOURCES] Husband Carlos Molina said Monica Luzuriaga faced a heavy workload and workplace harassment before her death. (new)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Her body was found on 28 July 2026 in a hostel in north Quito. (new)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The case is being investigated as a presumed femicide under Ecuador's National Protocol for Investigating Femicide and Other Violent Deaths of Women and Girls. (new)