Peru’s Minister for Women announced on Friday the death of a young woman who was burned alive on a public street by her ex-boyfriend while fleeing after five agonizing days after five agonizing days, and denounced the slowness of the investigation to recover .
Katherine Gomez, 18, was hospitalized on Saturday with burns covering more than 60% of her body. “She struggled to survive, but unfortunately the extent of the physical damage did not allow the doctors to save her life and we have been informed of her death,” Minister Nancy Tolentino announced on televised RPP.
According to the police, the perpetrator of this murder of a woman is a 19-year-old Venezuelan woman who fled after dousing Katherine Gomez with petrol and setting her on fire near the Place du 2 Mai, one of the emblematic places of the capital.
The young woman had decided a few days earlier to end their relationship.
Ms Tolentino lamented that a warrant to locate the suspect was not issued until Thursday, five days after the fatal attack. “The police promised me they would do everything they could to find him,” she added.
Sergio Tarache Parra is included in the Programa de Rewards del #Mininter.
It acusado de rociarle gasolina y prieerle fuego a su expareja Katherine Gómez, en el Cercado, causándole la muerte.
Se ofrece S/ 50,000 per su captura.
Call 0800 40 007 when you are at the parade. pic.twitter.com/85SgYtwSS2— Ministry of Interior 🇵🇪 (@MininterPeru) March 24, 2023
The Minister for Women and Vulnerable Populations urged women “in the event of a breakup” not to agree to meet their former partner alone. “Don’t go to a meeting alone, if you want to break up with a violent person, don’t believe her when she says, ‘Let’s talk, I’ll explain’.”
Peru (population 33 million) recorded 136 murders of women in 2022, according to official figures, compared to 146 in 2021 and 138 in 2020.
For comparison, in France (population 67 million), the number of murders of women reached 122 in 2021.