The shocking case of Agostina Vega, the 14-year-old murdered and dismembered in Argentina

Agostina Vega, aged 14, disappeared on the night of May 23, around 10:30 pm, in the city of Córdoba, Argentina
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The teenager Agostina Vega, aged 14, disappeared on the night of May 23, around 10:30 pm, in the city of Córdoba, Argentina.
For a week, family, neighbors and authorities searched for the young girl. Last Saturday (30) she was found dismembered in a vacant lot on the outskirts of the city.
The case caused a strong commotion in Córdoba and throughout the country. During the weekend, demonstrations were held in several locations to demand justice for the teenager's death. Feminist groups also called for new protests.
The police arrested Claudio Barrelier, 33 years old, a former partner of the victim's mother, identified so far as the main and only suspect in the feminicide.
According to a report from Agostina's mother, Melisa Heredia, on the day of her disappearance the teenager spent part of her time playing with her 7-year-old brother. Later, the two would have gone to get empanadas from their grandfather's shop, located close to the family's residence.
"When my son returned, I asked if Agostina was at his grandfather's shop and he replied: 'No, mom, Agos isn't there'", Heredia told the Argentine newspaper La Nación.
Upon noticing her daughter's absence, the mother tried to contact her by phone at around 10:30 pm. "The cell phone rang four times and then never again", he reported.
During the days of searching, Melisa made an emotional appeal to her daughter: "Be strong, my love. Hold on a little longer, because we will find you. All of Córdoba is looking for you".
But Agostina would not be found alive.
Ariel, the key witness
The last person to see Agostina before her disappearance was the taxi driver who took her to meet the main suspect in the murder.
This is Ariel, who gave details to the local press about everything she saw that night.
He said that the teenager approached him and asked him to take her to the intersection of Juan del Campillo and Fragueiro streets, in the Cofico neighborhood, where Claudio Barrelier was.
"I asked how old she was and she told me she was 14", he remembers.
"I also asked why she was going to that place and she told me that she was going to meet the mother's boyfriend and that they were going to surprise her", he added.
But things got weird when they found Barrelier.
"When she saw him, she told me: 'That boy over there is going to pay for the fare'. He was wearing a black coat, he approached and asked how much the fare was. When I replied 11,300 pesos, he said he didn't have all the money, just 9,500 pesos. I found it suspicious that he didn't look at my face. He stood to the side, leaning between the front and back doors of the car. I tried to look at him, but he was wearing a hood. As he had no money enough, he gave me a dollar to top it off", reported Ariel.
Days later, the taxi driver discovered that Agostina had disappeared.
"I was on my cell phone when I saw the photo of the girl and realized that it was the same young woman that I had taken to that house. I looked for information on social media, managed to contact her mother and left my number," he said.
One of the main elements that linked Claudio Barrelier to the teenager's disappearance was a recording obtained by security cameras.
The images show Agostina entering the 33-year-old man's residence on the same night he disappeared.
The property was later the target of searches carried out by the authorities, who sought to gather evidence to investigate the case.
Claudio Barrelier, 33 years, he was arrested by the police and is suspected of having murdered Agostina
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The end of the search
A few hours before completing a week since her disappearance, Agostina's body was found in the region of Ampliación Ferreyra, an area that had been inspected by the authorities for more than 24 hours.
The victim's father, prosecutor Raúl Garzón and the Security Secretary of the province of Córdoba, Juan Pablo Quintero.
There it was found that the teenager had been dismembered by the perpetrator, with the body parts buried in different parts of the land.
According to the Argentine press, the search operation mobilized more than 200 police officers, as well as sniffer dogs, helicopters and drones.
In a press conference, prosecutor Raúl Garzón stated that the murder had occurred between 11:30 p.m. Saturday, May 23rd, and 1am or 2am on Sunday the 24th.
"We still need to clarify why Agostina was in that house that day. By no means is the investigation complete. Both the family environment and people outside the family circle continue to be the target of investigation. So far there are no other accused, but possible responsibilities will be determined as investigations progress and evidence is produced", he declared.
In an interview with channel Todo Noticias (TN), the Secretary of Security, Juan Pablo Quintero, spoke about a clue that was fundamental in finding Agostina.
With the suspicion that Barrelier was involved in the girl's disappearance, investigators identified, on Monday, records that showed him in a residence in the Cofico neighborhood, driving a Ford Ka.
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On Wednesday, explained Quintero, it was possible to confirm that the same vehicle had arrived in the Ampliación Ferreyra neighborhood, where the remains would later be found.
"At that moment, we were still optimistic about finding her alive, but we maintained absolute secrecy so as not to hinder the investigation," said the secretary.
Following the path of this car was "the fundamental clue", according to the official.
Later, an analysis of data from Telephony made it possible to verify that the suspect stayed in the same spot for around 40 minutes.
It was based on this information that the teams concentrated their searches in the area where Agostina was eventually found.
"I am avoiding giving details out of respect for the family, but we are facing the worst possible scenario", added the minister, noting that the suspect "lied from the beginning".
Local media reported that, after his arrest, Barrelier had expressed suicidal intentions inside the Bouwer Penitentiary Complex. He had to be rescued by prison staff.
"I'm still in shock. I can hardly believe all of this. I don't want to turn on the television," the accused's mother, Viviana Brizuela, told the press.
"I thought he was innocent. I didn't create him with those values. I raised him with education, with principles", he added.

Source: G1