On Monday, Carabineros and the PDI (Investigations Police) arrested the prime suspect in the murder of 20-year-old Francisca Millahual, whose body was recently discovered in Temuco. The suspect, 24-year-old Emanuel Ochoa, was apprehended in the commune of Lanco, in the Los Ríos region, following an intensive multi-day search.
The suspect, who is the victim's uncle, had been a fugitive since last Tuesday, when the young woman's body was found by her own grandmother at a home in Villa Florencia, in the southwestern sector of Temuco. According to reports from BioBioChile, the victim had suffered a gunshot wound to the chin and various contusions across her body.
A religious service leads to the arrest
The arrest was made possible through public cooperation. As reported by Cooperativa, the suspect was identified by attendees at an evangelical church in Lanco, who recognized the man and immediately alerted the police. Following his arrest, he was transported to the PDI's La Araucanía Police Complex.
According to BioBioChile, the suspect has already met with a defense attorney and provided a statement to the lead prosecutor on the case, Francisco Montecinos. The Public Prosecutor's Office confirmed that the detainee will appear in the Temuco Guarantee Court on Monday for a detention hearing; if the arrest is ruled lawful, he will be formally charged with femicide.
The Prosecutor's Office continues to investigate the exact circumstances of the crime, noting that the suspect had been with the victim shortly before her death.