ROATÁN, HONDURAS – An American, Gilbert Reyes Bermúdez, has been detained in the Dominican Republic over the alleged murder of three women in Honduras’ island of Roatán, as per local law enforcement. Bermúdez, aged 36, is suspected of having associations with the deceased women, María Antonia Cruz, Nikendra McCoy, and Dione Solórzano, prior to their deaths on the 6th of January.
Bermúdez is believed to have left Honduras the day after the suspected killings, coinciding with when the women were declared missing. Their bodies were found three days later in a vehicle, each with gunshot wounds, according to a report from a Costa Rican news source.
Reports suggest that Solórzano, one of the deceased, had a past relationship with Bermúdez. Bermúdez is said to have arrived in the Dominican Republic on the 16th of March, as reported by online news outlet, Dominican Today.
Upon his capture, Bermúdez was found with $205, 600 pesos, an American passport, two cell phones, and other personal items, which are now held by OCN-Interpol Santo Domingo, as per Dominican Today.
The process to return Bermúdez to Honduras has been initiated by the National Police. The case against him will rely on evidence from the crime scene and witness statements, a Honduran government press release revealed.
Honduras has the highest rate of femicide, the deliberate killing of women, among Latin American nations, and ranks fifth worldwide, according to a report from a Costa Rican news outlet.