QUITO, Ecuador — Four days after 53-year-old Father Enrique Fabián Arcos went missing in Ecuador, the authorities found his body Nov. 3 in a dump about 18 miles north of Ambato, where he lived. The murder was preceded by a robbery in Father Arcos’ house. Closed-circuit TV footage of the area showed that the priest was accompanied by three other men that day. The police confirmed Nov. 5 that they have fully identified the perpetrators. According to reports from the local press, the perpetrators got into the house of the priest without forcing the doors. They tied up his 93-year-old mother, Rebeca Sevilla, and took some of her belongings, including jewelry. After that, they tried to take money from the priest’s bank accounts, police said, and when they failed to do so, they decided to kill Father Arcos and left the house with him. His mother managed to free herself and shortly thereafter asked for help. His car was found burned to ashes in a different location. Among the suspects is a Venezuelan migrant, whom the priest most probably knew from the community he served as pastor. (OSV News)
