Santiago police investigation faces scrutiny over death of sex worker

Questions have been raised regarding the investigation into the death of Cindy Estrada Muñoz, a 24-year-old sex worker, following a confrontation with PDI officer Nicolás Antonio Cortez Encina in Santiago, Chile.

Witnesses reported hearing a fight and two gunshots at an apartment building in the Independencia commune on September 23, 2021. However, official reports from the Servicio Médico Legal (SML) and the Subsecretaría de Prevención del Delito classified the incident as a suicide, citing a single gunshot wound to the head consistent with a self-inflicted injury.

Critics point to several irregularities in the handling of the case, including the claim that a summary CD was damaged and that the officer's clothing and hands were never forensically examined. Additionally, it is noted that Cortez Encina entered the building under false pretenses by claiming to be responding to a vehicle theft, and despite the circumstances, he was not detained by Carabineros.