Tragedy in Mexico: 5-Year-Old Fernandito Killed Over Just $55

The Attorney General’s Office of the State of Mexico (FGEM) reported that two women and a man were arrested for the kidnapping and murder of a 5-year-old boy, identified as Fernando, whom the three suspects “took as collateral” to demand payment from the child’s mother on a debt of 1,000 pesos (55) in the municipality of Los Reyes, La Paz, Mexico.

According to information released by the Attorney General’s Office of the State of Mexico (FGJEM), the individuals arrested in connection with the murder of a 5-year-old boy in the municipality of Los Reyes, La Paz, on July 28, were identified as:

Carlos “N”, Ana Lilia “N” y Lilia “N”

The three individuals were sent to the Nezahualcóyotl Penitentiary and Social Reintegration Center, where they will be investigated for their probable involvement in the crimes of disappearance of a person and aggravated homicide.

In the context of the arrest of these individuals, residents of the Ejidal El Pino neighborhood demonstrated demanding justice for the child, who was detained from July 28 until August 4, the date the minor’s body was discovered.

The events date back to last July when Marcelina, Fernandito’s mother, asked Carlos, Ana Lilia, and Lilia for a loan. They lent money to people, charging them interest and using violence. Because the woman couldn’t pay the 1,000 pesos, these individuals took the child as collateral.

The loan sharks threatened Marcelina with returning her son until she paid them. The woman claims she went to the loan sharks three times, living in a neighborhood located on Carmen Serdán Street, in the Ejidal El Pino neighborhood, in the municipality of Los Reyes, La Paz.

The loan sharks held the child, only 5 years old, beating him, abusing him, and giving him little to eat. Neighbors heard what was happening, so they complained to the now-incarcerated men and called the municipal police, who arrived at the home on August 4. Marcelina also filed a complaint.

At the scene, they found Fernandito’s lifeless body, stuffed into a sack, already decomposing for several days, among garbage bags in a rough-in room.