Zulma Gonzalez, the Paraguayan senator who appeared dead (Twitter photo)
Senator from Paraguay Zulma Gomez was found dead this Sunday in the waters of Lake Acaray, near Ciudad del Este. The initial hypothesis is that she would have suffered an accident: it is thought that she fell asleep on a pier and, due to circumstances not yet clarified, he drowned. She was 61 years old.
The body of the legislator Gómez, doctor and member of the Authentic Liberal Radical Party (PLRA) opposition, was rescued by firefighters about 20 meters from a pier located on a property of the leader, in the department of Alto Paraná (south- East).
The prosecutor in charge of the case, Cinthia Leiva, told the Telefuturo channel. Firefighters intervened on the spot after the senator’s husband alerted the authorities of the disappearance of the political leader.
Gómez’s search began around 2:30 local time (3:30 in Argentina) this Sunday, after she was not found by her granddaughter on the dock where she had decided to spend the night after attending with her party supporters in a meeting on the occasion of Friendship Day.
“For us there is no doubt that she is dead a suffocation by drowning“Leiva said.
The official added it to the dock there are no surveillance cameras and it was shrouded in fog. According to photographs broadcast by local media, a mattress, a pair of sports shoes and sheets were found on the site.
Hugo Céspedes, coroner who carried out the first checks, noted that he had not found injuries from physical aggression, so the hypothesis of a murder is practically excluded, according to the ABC newspaper.
“We have not encountered any type of injury that could distract us from the participation of a third party. We found both lungs half full of water, the bluish color that is due to suffocation, we looked at everything from head to toe. So, it was directly suffocation due to the immersion, “concluded Céspedes.
The prosecutor reported on Twitter, citing the prosecutor, that the autopsy and other investigative procedures will be carried out.
Another coroner who arrived at the farm explained to Telefuturo that early evidence points to “mechanical suffocation by immersion”. The official said the lake waters in that area have a depth of about seven meters.
Gómez, 61, attended a party meeting with youth leaders this weekend, which took place at the “Doña Zulma farm”. There he had encouraged young people to be “agents of change” in the face of next year’s presidential election.
“For the first time, young people are the absolute majority in the register. Go out and vote and encourage your friends, family and neighbors to become electoral agents, “she said.
After learning of the fact, said the president of the Congress, Óscar Salomón three days of mourning in the Legislative. His party and political leaders also mourned his death.
Gómez was a deputy from 2003 to 2008. She was a controversial figure, very active on social networks, where – according to local media – she shared her political profile but also her personal life. Since that last year you have become a member of the Senate. For her death, the National Congress decreed three days of mourning.
With information from EFE
Source: Clarin
