A man has been arrested on suspicion of murdering his wife and then sleeping next to her decomposing body for several weeks.
Rita Paredes Rioja had not been seen by neighbours for a month. Her partner, Douglas Salazar Castillo, is accused of pretending that she was still alive, even going as far as calling out her name whenever he arrived home to maintain the illusion of normality.
The 57 year old is alleged to have killed Rita before wrapping her body in a blanket and spending the following weeks sleeping next to her decaying corpse.
It has been reported that he eventually confessed to the crime to a security guard at their residential complex in Lima, Peru. He even sent a photo of his wife’s dead body to the security official who immediately alerted the police.
Upon arrival, officers discovered Paredes’ body wrapped in a blanket alongside several empty alcohol bottles. Authorities are now awaiting autopsy results to determine her exact cause of death, reports the Mirror.
If the post-mortem reveals she died from an external cause, Salazar could face charges of femicide. The victim had previously reported her husband for domestic violence on multiple occasions, but they always reconciled.
Neighbours reported frequently hearing the couple argue and suspected habitual violence, according to NeedToKnow. Salazar remains in police custody while the investigation continues.
A startling report from 2023 has surfaced about a man in Limburg, Netherlands, who was unable to let go of his father’s body and decided to keep it in a freezer. After being apprehended by authorities, he explained to local media: “I did not want to let him go or I would miss him.”
He confessed that he wished to continue conversations with his father.
In a related yet equally strange occurrence from the previous year, Charn Janwatchakal, a 72 year old from Bangkok, Thailand, lived in a single-room dwelling with his deceased wife for an astonishing 21 years. Eventually, he chose to cremate her, and images show him moving the coffin in his home in the Bang Khen district.
In a video, he addressed his late wife, saying: “You are just going for a brief business and you’ll be back home again. It won’t be long, I promise.”