murder peru Archives - Samantha Bangayan

Ciro Castillo Rojo Lost and Found

October 26, 2011
66 Comments

These days, the Peruvian news is all about Ciro Castillo Rojo. After more than 200 days of being lost in the Colca Canyon in Arequipa, Peru, they have found his lifeless body intact at the bottom of a cliff, 1400 meters below a viewing point in the tourist area. They recognized him by his clothes, pink watch, and gold necklace as seen in the last photos we had of him. It took 65 people 30 hours to get his body out of there and to a nearby town.

Cadaver de Ciro Castillo — This is how they found Ciro Castillo's body. © La Industria

Questions still abound about his disappearance:

Did his girlfriend, Rosario Ponce López, who was with him before his disappearance, have anything to do with his death? Classmates at their university have apparently stated that she has a tendency to be violent.
Could the police or local town citizens be involved in his death? Ciro’s mother expresses doubt that Ciro could have fallen because he was found with no jacket and no shoes, but his hat was still on him. Furthermore, only his right arm seemed to be fractured.
Did someone put him there after his death? He was found in the “backpacking zone” where the rescue team had thoroughly searched various times. Mountain rescue workers predict he died up to two days after breaking his arm (link in Spanish).
Why are Rosario’s parents in Arequipa? Rosario’s parents admit that they are there to “protect the interests of their daughter” (link in Spanish), but it’s unclear what they mean by that. Even Rosario herself didn’t go to Arequipa for Ciro’s wake.

Rescatando el Cuerpo de Ciro — Rescue workers carry Ciro Castillo's body out of the Colca Canyon. © La República

After finally finding Ciro’s body, people have expressed various emotions from excitement and relief to pain and anger. During a mass in Ciro’s memory attended by more than 500 people, Ciro’s father commented that he was excited to see his son again. Ciro’s mother is happy that she’ll be able to put flowers for him somewhere, but is sad that she will no longer be able to hug him anymore. She’s thankful for the miracle of finding him in October, the month of the “Lord of Miracles” in Peru, but she feels anguish to tuck away the slightest hope she had that he might have still been alive. Even the people of the nearby town, who have taken in the case as their own, grieved for Ciro and felt indignant as they demanded that justice be served.

Only time and an autopsy will reveal the cause of death and bring another onslaught of emotions.

What have you recently lost and found? How did it make you feel?

“Hurry, They Haven’t Found Me Yet.”

May 27, 2011
46 Comments

In early April, a young couple in their twenties disappeared in the Colca Canyon in Arequipa, Peru. On April 13th, they found Rosario Ponce López severely dehydrated. She had been eating insects and drinking her own urine to survive. They are still searching for her boyfriend, Ciro Castillo Rojo, to this day.

Ciro Castillo y Rosario Ponce — Ciro Castillo and Rosario Ponce were both lost in the Colca Canyon. Only Rosario has been found. © Facebook

The mystery of Ciro’s continued disappearance has grown in fervor with contradictions and secretiveness arising from Rosario’s stories.

She said that her cell phone lost its signal and ran out of battery during the days they were lost, but a mutual friend of the couple confirmed that he received phone calls and text messages from her mobile.
One of the cryptic text messages that she sent to the friend said: “Hurry, they haven’t found me yet.” She spoke only of herself and not of Ciro.
Rosario first told reporters that she and Ciro had walked off in different directions. Later, she changed her story, claiming that she was in a state of shock and didn’t know what she was saying. She now stands by the tale that Ciro went off to find help, but she couldn’t go with him because she felt really weak. When she woke up, he had disappeared.

Ciro Castillo and Rosario Ponce — Ciro and Rosario were on a trip through the Colca Canyon before they got lost. © Facebook

People are suspecting homicide.

The President of the Committee of Attorney Generals in Arequipa says that Rosario has really important information for this case (link in Spanish), implying that she may not be sharing what she knows. Reinaldo Dos Santos, “The Prophet of America”, said in an interview a couple weeks ago that, “she’s trying to collaborate and she’s doing all that she can, but there are also things she’s not saying because of fear.”

When humans are deathly afraid of certain consequences, they react in different ways. In reflecting on my past, I handle similar situations by becoming painstakingly organized. I meticulously plan how I’ll manage all conceivable outcomes to the point of insomnia and losing my appetite.

How do you handle extreme fear? How have you seen people close to you handle extreme fear?

Tag: murder peru

Ciro Castillo Rojo Lost and Found

What have you recently lost and found? How did it make you feel?

“Hurry, They Haven’t Found Me Yet.”