María Camila Potosí was eight months pregnant when she was last seen riding on the back of a motorcycle in Polvorines, a town in the southwestern city of Cali in Colombia last week
She was last seen riding pillion on a motorbike(Image: Jam Press)
The body of a missing 21-year-old pregnant woman has been found dumped near a riverbank with her unborn child missing from her womb. María Camila Potosí was eight months pregnant when she was last spotted travelling pillion on a motorbike in Polvorines, a district in the south-western city of Cali in Colombia last week.
She was reported missing on July 16 and, following days of intensive searches by relatives and police, her body was discovered along the banks of the River Meléndez. Her remains had been abandoned after she was fatally stabbed, with her unborn child torn from her womb.
According to local radio station La FM, the baby was reportedly to be named Alahia and had been due to arrive in August. A baby shower had been arranged just days before the shocking tragedy occurred, reports the Mirror.
María Camila Potosí(Image: Jam Press)
Confirming the discovery of María’s body, Cali Police deputy head of criminal investigations Maj Alirio Acuna said: “The body of a pregnant woman was found at kilometre 3 on the La Buitrera road, specifically on the banks of the River Meléndez.
“Preliminary findings suggest that the physical characteristics and clothing match those of the 21-year-old woman who had been reported missing since last Thursday, July 16.”
María was last seen hopping onto a motorbike with an unidentified woman who, at the time of reporting, remains a mystery. As per Noticias Caracol, María had just finished an appointment at the Los Polvorines health centre in southern Cali before getting on the motorbike that was captured on CCTV.
Speaking about María’s appointment mere hours before her heartbreaking death, Ladera Health Network manager Diana Carolina stated: “It was a routine consultation, in line with clinical practice guidelines.
“She arrived at our healthcare centre at around 9am. She entered the consultation room alone and underwent the necessary check-up.”
María Camila Potosí at her own baby shower days before her grim murder(Image: FaceBook / La Favorita Stereo)
María’s mother Ana Rubi Gomez has issued a desperate appeal for her granddaughter’s safe return, calling on the public to aid in finding the missing baby.
She disclosed to La FM: “The first thing I asked was whether the baby was still in her womb, and they told me no, that the baby wasn’t there.
“That filled me with hope that the baby might still be alive. So I’m asking the public and the community to help me find my little girl.”
Potosí was at her boyfriend’s house when she reportedly received a phone call from a woman later identified in a video as driving the motorcycle. The family said that Potosí informed them that she was going with the woman to collect gifts for her baby.
She had recently met the woman at a Cali centre for expectant mothers.
She was last seen on CCTV(Image: Jam Press)
On Friday (July 24), a man named Carlos Rincón shared a video on social media where he revealed himself as the female suspect’s ex-partner and disclosed that she failed to return home to sleep on the night Potosí vanished.
He mentioned that his former girlfriend informed him in January that she was expecting. “I was excited about (her) pregnancy,” he said.
“And many people think I had something to do with it – the kidnapping and murder of the 21-year-old woman – because I had been the motorcyclist’s partner.
“We had nothing to do with it. We knew nothing. My family was another victim. We trusted her, we believed in her.”
Following the discovery of María’s body, the Cali Ombudsman’s Office has called for an immediate and comprehensive investigation into her death. Furthermore, they’ve emphasised the critical need to locate the missing baby urgently in case she’s still alive.
Authorities reportedly declared that the autopsy results confirming the infant’s removal “makes it even more urgent to clarify the facts and locate the newborn baby”.
They continued: “As the Public Prosecutor’s Office, we call on the Attorney General’s Office and the relevant authorities to carry out all investigative measures as swiftly as possible and to put in place the necessary measures to locate the baby, ensuring the protection of her life and safety.
“We also urge members of the public to provide any information through official channels that may assist the investigation. Every minute counts.”
