'I feel something is going to happen': Haunting texts sent by two of three young women who were tortured and murdered on beach vacation suggested they were in danger
Nayeli Tapia, 22, and Denisse Reyna, 19, both sent ominous messages to loved ones warning they were in danger the day that they went missing in Ecuador. The pair went missing on April 4 with their friend 21-year-old Yuliana Macias. They were found tied up in a grave with their throats slit and mouths covered
By Alex Oliveira
Daily Mail
April 17, 2023
The slain women were identified as (L-R) Yuliana Macias, Denisse Reyna and Nayeli Tapia
Two of the three young women found with their throats slit in a ditch in Ecuador sent ominous texts to loved-ones suggesting they were in danger just hours before they went missing.
Denisse Reyna, 19, reportedly messaged a friend saying 'I feel that something is going to happen,' while Nayeli Tapia, 22, began sharing her location with her sister 'just in case,' just after 11pm on April 4.
The pair, along with their friend Yuliana Macias, 21, were never heard from again. Their bodies were later found buried in a shallow grave not far from the location Tapia shared, according to the Ecuadorian outlet Vistazo.
The women were discovered by fisherman who noticed a dog sniffing the ground alongside a riverbank near Quininde. Their bodies were each tied up, their throats slit, and their mouths covered, with authorities suspecting they were tortured before being killed.
They had left their homes in Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas - over 50 miles from where they were found - after heading to the beach the day they went missing.
Friends said Vistazo Tapia shared her location with her sister and sent her a WhatsApp message that translated to 'I'm just sending you just in case.'
That same day, Reyna reportedly sent a friend a text that translated to 'I feel that something is going to happen and if something happens to me, remember that I love you very much.'
Their families reported them missing after the women did not return home and fell out of contact after their day at the beach on April 4.
Preliminary investigations suggest the women were killed in the rural locality of Malimpia, in Quininde Parish, on April 5.
Investigators have reportedly identified the rental car that allegedly took the young women to the crime scene.
Police officers found a mobile phone at the scene, which they hope will help them solve the case.
Diego Velastegui of the Quininde Police told local media: 'They were young, had beach clothes, bathing suits, light clothing, shorts.'
The horrifying discovery was made by some fishermen who noticed a dog sniffing the ground
The women's bodies were uncovered alongside the Esmeraldas River near Quininde, Ecuador
The province where the women were discovered has been under a state of emergency since early March over violence stemming from a drug trafficking turf war, according to the New York Post.
Relatives of the women, however, have insisted the victims had nothing to do with cartels.
Yuliana's aunt, Paulina Rued, told the Noticias Noroccidente media outlet that the murders should not be linked to drug trafficking, saying: 'I ask the public not to accuse people who have nothing to do with it.'
'All we want is justice, and if the public knows, they should report who is responsible for this horrible murder, because it's three murders in one day.'
Paulina said she and other relatives had received threats for demanding justice for the victims.
'I will stand until the last consequences, despite the fact that my life has been in danger since yesterday,' she said.
The victims, aged between 19 and 22, have been named as Nayeli Tapia (right), Denisse Reyna (left), and Yuliana Macias
Local media reported that this was the final video of Yuliana - in which she was singing at a restaurant table with some friends
The women were laid to rest on the Easter weekend. Footage shared online showed the funeral of Yuliana, where she was in a closed casket surrounded by floral tributes. She is believed to have been buried at the Santo Domingo Drivers Union.
Yuliana was a singer who performed under the name Siria.
Heart-breaking footage has since surfaced on social media of Yuliana singing at a table restaurant with friends before she went missing. Local media in Ecuador reported it to be the last footage there is of her alive.
Nayeli grew up in Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas but lived in Quito. She worked as a model.
Denisse was studying Agricultural Engineering at the State Technical University of Quevedo.
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