Early morning news coming from BBC News has confirmed the Miss Honduras World beauty queen Maria Jose Alvarado, 19, and her sister Sofia Trinidad, 23, have been found dead (pictured in headline image), officials say.
Having met Maria Jose this past August during the International Costa Maya Festival, the staff of Ambergris Today is heartbroken to hear such tragic news and extends its condolences to her family in these hard times for them. She was a very sweet, kind and reserved young woman who came to meet and befriend many residents on Ambergris Caye during her participation in the Costa Maya Pageant.
The two women went missing on Thursday, after they were spotted leaving a party in the Santa Barbara region.The head of the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Leandro Osorio, said that the two women’s bodies had been found in Cablotales village, near the Aguagua River. “We are 100% sure that it’s them,” he said.
Sofia’s, Miss Honduras’s sister, boyfriend Plutarco Antonio Ruiz has confessed to the brutal murder of the two women and has been arrested. Police believe that there are others involved in the murder and their search/investigations continue. According to the police, Ruiz got upset with Sofia after she danced with anohter male at the party they attended and a verbal dispute started. Investigations reveal that Ruiz shot his girlfriend on the forehead and then fired at Maria Jose as she attempted to escape; she was shot twice on her back.
The Associated Press indicated that the head of criminal investigations in Honduras stated that they found the bodies of both women burried on the banks of the La Aguagua River in an abandoned lot. Due to the state of the decomposition of the bodies, it is assumed that they were murdered the day the two went missing, last week Thursday. During the arrest they also seized two cars and a gun. (Click Here for images of Ruiz being arrested)
According to a UN report, Honduras has the world’s highest homicide rate, with 90.4 people murdered per 100,000 of the population. Maria Jose Alvarado was set to represent Honduras at the Miss World Pageant 2014 to be held on December 14 in London, England. (Prensa Libre report in Spanish)
Miss Honduras Maria Jose Alvarado in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize, during Costa Maya Pageant event
Message from Miss World Chairman Julia Morley:
“To everyone around the world who has been touched by the awful news from Honduras this morning.
We are devastated by this terrible loss of two young women, who were so full of life. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Maria Jose Alvarado & Sofia Trinidad at this time of grief.
We are receiving messages of condolences and support from our Miss World family across the world, who all share our sadness at such a tragedy.
We will be holding a special service with all of the Miss World contestants on Sunday, where we will be honoring the lives of Maria Jose Alvarado and Sofia Trinidad, and say prayers for them and their family.”
– With Love Julia Morley, Chairman Miss World Organisation
