The aunt of a model who was one of three young women whose throats were slit before being dumped in a shallow grave has hit back over rumours that the trio were linked to narco-traffickers.
Nayeli Tapia, 22, Yuliana Macias, 21, and Denisse Reyna, 19, were found by a group of local fishermen after they spotted a dog prowling around an area on a river bank near Quininde, Ecuador in early April.
Cops rushed to the scene where they exhumed the three bodies - each of which was tied up, with its mouth covered and throat slit.
Speaking with local media, Yuliana's aunt begged the public "not to accuse people who have nothing to do with [drug trafficking]".
After the grisly murders, rumours abounded, including that the girls were killed after getting caught up with shady characters from the country's cartels.
In a relatively recent development, Ecuador, which neighbours major cocaine-producing countries and is rife with corruption, has become a hotbed of drug crime, according to the International Crisis Group.
Yuliana's aunt, Paulina Rueda, added: "All we want is justice, and if the public knows, they should report who is responsible for this horrible murder, because it's three murders in one day."
Paulina said that she and other relatives have been threatened during their campaign for justice.
She said: "I will stand until the last consequences, despite the fact that my life has been in danger since yesterday."
Yesterday, chilling text messages emerged, some of the last communications by the group slain during a trip to the beach.
In the hours before they vanished, two of the women sent messages to loved ones warning they were in danger.
A translation of one text read: "I feel that something is going to happen."
The women's family and friends told how Nayeli, who had a four-year-old daughter, sent her sister a WhatsApp message with her live location at 11.10pm on April 4.
It read: "I'm just sending you just in case," and she was not heard from again.
The location was later proven to be close to where the three women were found dead, according to the publication.
Denisse messaged a friend in her final hours which read: "I feel that something is going to happen and if something happens to me, remember that I love you very much."
It is believed the women were tortured, killed and buried on April 5.
Relatives said they were from Santo Domingo with similar hopes and dreams for the future.
Two of the women wanted to leave the country in search of a better future and they all left happy and smiling, it was said.
After their disappearance, it was initially thought they had been hired for a musical presentation.
But the theory was ruled out by relatives who said the last thing they knew was that the women would travel to the beach with some friends.
On the day of their fateful trip, a black Sail car picked up Denisse at around 9am after she was invited to the Casa Blanca hotel in Same.
At that time, she was not sure whether or not to go to the beach and preferred to say that she was going to have some breakfast.
It later emerged that Denisse and the driver picked up Nayeli on Alóag road, since she came from Quito.
In the afternoon, Denisse returned to her house with her friend to confirm the trip.
At night, Yuliana joined and told her relatives that she would be meeting a friend.
The young woman uploaded a WhatsApp status of the girls singing in a car and it is not know what happened next.
Their corpses showed signs of torture and had injuries caused by sharp weapons, perhaps machetes. All three were handcuffed.
Diego Velastegui of the Quininde Police, told local press: "They were young, had beach clothes, bathing suits, light clothing, shorts."
The remains were transferred to the morgue, then handed over to their relatives who confirmed that they were Yuliana, Denisse and Nayeli.
Their relatives bravely decided to speak out to tell their stories and the dreams they had in life.
Nayeli grew up in Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas but lived in Quito and worked as a model.
Yuliana was a singing student.
While Denisse was studying Agricultural Engineering at the State Technical University of Quevedo.
