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Colombian authorities have said the bodies of a woman and a man were found in Tumaco, Nariño, a rural zone bordering Ecuador, and they suspect they might be the couple kidnapped by the criminal group Oliver Sinisterra Front in April.
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The Ecuadorian government issued a statement saying the remains “could belong to the kidnapped co-nationals Oscar Villacis and Katty Velasco.” The bodies where found by a specialized team in the same area as the bodies of the three journalists of the El Comercio newspaper.
The bodies are being identified by Colombian authorities, who are working along with Ecuadorian prosecutors, and the family members have been notified on the finding.
But Colombia's Interior Minister Mauro Toscanini said the news were a “rumor” about “contact between the attorney generals of Ecuador and Colombia,” and didn't confirm it.
The couple was kidnapped on April 16 by the same armed organization that claims to be a dissident faction of the now demobilized FARC and is supposedly led by “Guacho.” FARC denies any political or armed ties or relationship with the group.
Days later, the Ecuadorian government published a smart phone video showing the couple being held in a similar fashion as the three journalist, which was sent to authorities by Whatsapp. There has been no information since then.
Their families have organized protests and vigils in front of the national palace in Ecuador's capital Quito to demand their relatives safe return home.
While the three kidnapped journalists enjoyed widespread coverage in local and international media, the couple's case was quickly forgotten by media and both Latin American governments chose to remain silent about it.
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