The body of a man aged between 20 and 30 was found with his hands and feet tied and more than 20 bullet wounds in the Las Jarillas area. It is a rural, unpopulated area in the upper part of Viña del Mar, in the Valparaíso Region.
According to Cooperativa, the homicide reportedly occurred around 00:00 on the same day the body was found. The source does not specify the exact date. The victim has yet to be identified.
"This homicide is clearly an execution. The person was tied up, immobilized and had approximately more than 20 bullet wounds in his body, from different weapons," said José Antonio Uribe. He is chief prosecutor of the Criminal Analysis and Complex Cases System in the Valparaíso Region, a unit of the Prosecutor's Office that investigates more complex crimes.
According to G5 Noticias, local residents found the body and alerted emergency services. Prefect Rodrigo Gallardo, head of the Homicide Brigade (BH) of the Investigative Police (PDI) in Valparaíso, confirmed that the Public Prosecutor's Office was subsequently informed of the case.
The Prosecutor's Office Organized Crime and Homicide Team, the BH and experts from the PDI Forensic Laboratory arrived at the scene. The teams recovered around 30 spent cartridge cases, the casings left after each shot. According to Gallardo, they were .40 caliber and 9 millimeters, and investigators also collected projectiles for ballistic examinations.
According to Cooperativa, that evidence corroborates that there were several shooters or that different firearms were used. G5 Noticias suggested a contract killing or a clash between rival gangs as possibilities. No hypothesis has been ruled out, and the Prosecutor's Office has not confirmed a motive.
According to the PDI, the evidence and the position of the body indicate that the execution most likely took place where the body was found. Gallardo said investigators are analyzing security camera footage from the surrounding area to reconstruct how the crime unfolded.
The case is under investigation. No one has been arrested or formally accused, meaning people to whom the Prosecutor's Office formally attributes involvement in the crime. Uribe explained that photographic and fingerprint examinations seek to identify the victim, while investigators are also searching for the perpetrators and witnesses in the area.