JUAREZ, Mexico (Border Report) – The body of an activist who wanted to bring about an end to violence against women reportedly has been found in a shallow grave inside a home in West Juarez.
Karina Dominguez Rubio, 38, a mother of two, disappeared on Nov. 16 in Anapra, a neighborhood close to a stretch of border wall where migrant smuggling is common.
She was a board member of Renace y Vive Mujer A.C., a nonprofit that assists women who have been victims of violence. The group is calling for swift justice in the case, more vigorous efforts in locating missing women and better protection for all the citizens of Juarez in the wake of Dominguez’s death.
“Yes, we are frustrated. Frustrated by the violence around us. Frustrated by the lack of action by authorities. Frustrated that speaking up upsets them. Sorry for the inconvenience, but we are being murdered,” the organization said in a news release after authorities allegedly told its leaders the body near the junkyard was that of Dominguez.
The Chihuahua state police did not directly confirm the identity of the victim but said the activist’s car was found in the junkyard after a search warrant was executed Tuesday at the business. A KTSM/Border Report camera crew saw a copy of the warrant stating specifically the police were looking for Dominguez.
The Chihuahua Attorney General’s Office issued a statement Wednesday saying security cameras recorded Dominguez’s vehicle entering the Anapra neighborhood. Tuesday’s court-ordered search turned up Dominguez’s disassembled vehicle at the business, the AG’s Office said.
The body was recovered in the back of a home in the same neighborhood as the junkyard and forensic experts are trying to determine the identity, the statement said.
The Chihuahua Legislature, while discussing legislation to ensure the rights of women who win custody battles over their children are protected, on Wednesday observed a minute of silence in honor of Dominguez.
State Deputy Maria Antonieta Perez called for increased funding to law enforcement agencies tasked with locating missing women or investigating femicides. She said 220 women have been murdered in the state in 2023, but only 39 of those deaths have been classified as femicides – homicides punished with harsher penalties.
(ProVideo contributed to this report)
Read: Read More