A double homicide in Encarnación, Itapúa department, resulted in the deaths of two men and left a third seriously injured after an alleged negotiation to buy gold. The victims, identified as Arsenio Erico Cano González, 52, and Justo Pastor Garcete Cano, 50, traveled from Juan E. O’Leary, Alto Paraná, with about 350 million guaranis to close the deal. The survivor, Francisco Javier Cano González, 45, was shot in the neck but managed to escape and ask for help.
According to preliminary investigations, the three men were lured by fake gold sellers and taken to the El Paraíso Recreational Park in the Santa María neighborhood, where they were tied up and executed. Arsenio was shot eight times, while Justo was shot in the mouth. Francisco, who pretended to be dead, managed to escape after the attackers left the scene.
The National Police identified and arrested five suspects, all foreigners: Spaniards Fernando Barrionuevo Urbaneja and his son Aitor Barrionuevo Guirao, and Bolivians Luis Andrés Uriarte Gutiérrez, Scheila Liz Magno Mosay, and Beihit Eugenia Gutiérrez Piza. They were found in a rented house in the La Azotea neighborhood, San Juan del Paraná, where items such as a frequency jammer, two Rolex watches, gold fragments, cash, and a shirt with blood stains were seized.
Fernando Barrionuevo, identified as the group's leader, has a criminal record for fraud in Spain, according to Interpol information relayed to the Public Ministry. Authorities are still trying to recover the stolen money, the weapons used in the crime, and the alleged gold, which were not found during the initial procedures.
The survivor, Francisco Cano, gave a statement and identified the detainees as responsible for the attack. Security camera footage recorded the moment the victims entered the suspects' vehicle, a silver Jeep Cherokee, before being taken to the crime scene. The investigation continues to determine if the group had carried out similar scams on other occasions.