Mysterious dead young woman

From our correspondent
Oranjestad – The Ministry of Justice issued a remarkable response last Friday in connection with the recent death of the young woman Elida Maria Arteaga Barreto.

The statement said that “no criminal offense has been committed and the investigation is closed.” Friends of the woman sound the alarm, because they suspect that her death was staged and covered up. The reason would be that the body was found in the house of a former politician. The authorities do not want to have an autopsy done, the parents – if they want – have to pay for it themselves.
The case is remarkable because it is the first time that the authorities have provided information about the death of this woman to the media. It is not customary for the Ministry of Justice to issue a press release in this way. Such information is normally provided to the press through the Aruba Police Force (KPA) and the Public Prosecution Service (OM). In the case of Arteaga, that did not happen. The Justice Department says they have seen information about Arteaga’s tragic death circulating on social media. “The Ministry of Justice and Social Affairs has confidence in our legal system. Our position is that each individual case is treated fairly. The OM and the KPA have informed us that the death of the young woman has been investigated. The investigation revealed that no criminal offense had been committed. The family has been informed of the outcome of the investigation,” the ministry said.
When the woman died, where she was found and under what circumstances, the Ministry of Justice has not made any announcements about this. It Antillean newspaper went to investigate and ended up on Facebook at the University of Aruba (UA). The woman was a student at this educational institute. The UA announced the death of the student on November 30 and organized a memorial service.
Dutch friends of the deceased woman are now sounding the alarm. Jonneke Vos and Rose Bakker started a campaign on GoFundMe.Com last Friday to raise money for the autopsy. “Justice for Elida!” is called the action. Vos writes with the call: ,,The friends of Elida Maria Arteaga Barreto feel called upon to help the family to pay for their daughter’s autopsy costs. The Aruban government does not want to pay the costs. Help prevent a cover-up scandal. This is not possible and not allowed.” The campaign will be shared on social media.
The friends describe the situation. Arteaga was found lifeless in a house of a former politician where she temporarily stayed. “It is impossible for us that so many questions surrounding her death are left unresolved. She was in the prime of her life, had handed in her final thesis at the university. We suspect her death was staged as a suicide. Her body was covered in bruises, abrasions and blood was found on her clothes. Her nails are missing and her phone is gone.” The friends, but also her own parents, state that an autopsy should be able to determine the cause of death, but the police dismiss the case as suicide. The family has no money for this autopsy. Help us to raise the money and to give her a dignified farewell.”
The Antilliaans Dagblad made contact with Vos and Bakker. They say that they are ‘very happy to hear from the Dutch Caribbean’. “We are doing our best to publicize this matter. We are not surprised that you have not heard of this, because justice insists that Elida committed suicide. Through the GoFund actions, people find out what happened. We started the action when it became clear that the authorities do not want an autopsy done.”
The desired amount of 20,000 florins was collected within two days. Part will be used to pay for the autopsy. The rest is used to give the student a dignified farewell.
In Aruba, various other media have now also taken up the case. Among other things Aruba Native published on December 8 that the woman’s parents have been told by authorities a week after their daughter’s death that no further investigation into her death is being carried out. The woman is said to have died in Savaneta. The parents sought clarity about her death for days and were given the opportunity to talk to the police a week later. Then they learned that the authorities have closed the case and no autopsy is being done on the body. If the parents want to do an autopsy, they have to pay for it themselves. According to Aruba Native, the costs are 8,000 florins. The article also shows that the state of the body raises questions.
People on Facebook sharing the news stories and the GoFundMe campaign say they’re surprised they didn’t hear about this situation sooner.