Family prosecuted in the case of Lisbeth Baquerizo refutes version of DNA found in the victim’s nails

The death of Lisbeth Baquerizo, which occurred on December 21, 2020 in Puerto Azul, in western Guayaquil, continues to generate mixed versions between the two families in this case.

Nancy N., the mother of Luis H., Baquerizo’s partner and investigated in this case, rejects versions given by the victim’s family and the prosecution. One of their objections is about the DNA taken from the nails of the deceased. She denies that it corresponds to any member of her family, as the Prosecutor’s Office has indicated.

The woman, who is currently being prosecuted for the crime of procedural fraud (covering up the crime), assured that: “DNA tests confirmed that the genetic traces found on Lisbeth’s nails do not belong to her, her family or no member of my family, so whose is this unidentified male DNA?…”.

The mother of the suspect sent a document of her version to this newspaper after the publication of a note where the facts surrounding this case were compiled. The victim’s family believes that 30-year-old Lisbeth was killed with blows to the head and that her death was passed off as an accidental fall down the stairs.

Nancy N. and another of her children voluntarily submitted blood samples to rule out involvement in the crime and the results were 99% negative.

However, prosecutor Yoli Piillo, who is also director of the Gender Violence Unit of the Guayas Prosecutor’s Office, assured that Nancy N.’s sample was indeed negative, however, it was discovered that the DNA belongs to a direct relative her; a son, so the Prosecutor’s Office hopes that Luis H. will be captured and an exam will be done to confirm his thesis: a femicide after a fight between Luis and Lisbeth.

“The Prosecutor claims to have evidence, among them, that the other DNA profile is from Luis, without having scientific evidence to support it…”, indicates Nancy N.

The autopsy determined that Baquerizo was beaten before she died, according to the victim’s family. Virgina Muñoz presumes that her daughter defended herself because she assures that her son-in-law had a wound on his eyebrow that he justified at the wake by saying that his cell phone had been stolen and he was beaten by the thieves.

Officials from the Department of Forensic Medicine arrived at the wake room on December 22 to remove Baquerizo’s body for an autopsy, following Virginia’s complaint, who says she had suspicions. Other police officers arrived to take Luis H. to give his free and voluntary version, but when they arrived at the scene, the man fled in a vehicle driven by his brother, Miguel Ángel.

Nancy N. assures, in her brief, that her son Luis was not fleeing from the Police, that on the day of the wake his brother took him out of the room to “safeguard his integrity”, because he was afraid because he had been insulted and assaulted with those close to Baquerizo. “At that time, when my son Miguel took his brother Luis, there was no arrest warrant against Luis,” alleges Nancy N.

Louis H. He left the country on December 29 last year, six days after the autopsy.

Regarding the autopsy, Nancy N. argues that “Lisbeth’s mother was the first person who asked that the autopsy not be done and that they, her parents, were the ones who gave the approval to the person in charge of the funeral procedures.”

In the case there are two open processes: one for femicide against the widower and another for procedural fraud (cover-up) against his relatives and the doctor, however, after the investigation by the Prosecutor’s Office, three other investigations were derived against officials for allegedly helping to escape and passing valuable information to the family of the suspect in the death. (I)