Outrage in Argentina after two teen girls murdered as femicide crisis endures

Country is shaken by the brutal murders of two girls, aged 14 and 17, whose bodies were discovered just days apart

Argentina has reacted with fury after the bodies of two murdered teenage girls were found just two days apart. The latest killings underscore the South American country’s enduring femicide crisis despite years of feminist campaigning, and have prompted alarm over the decision to cut support for victims of gender-based violence under the far-right administration of Javier Milei .

Police found the remains of Agostina Vega, 14, on Saturday, in a field on the outskirts of the city of Córdoba. She had been fatally strangled and her body had been dismembered, according to local media reports.

She had left home on the night of Saturday 23 May, and took a taxi to the home of Claudio Barrelier, 33, a friend of the family.

He was arrested after a taxi driver told police that he had taken Vega to an intersection that matched the location of Barrelier’s house. CCTV footage showed her entering the house, but there was no sign of her leaving. The case is being investigated as femicide: killing of a woman or girl because of her gender. Barrelier is in custody and denies murder.

“Just like they murdered my daughter, there are going to be loads of Agostinas, and this can’t happen again,” said Agostina’s father, Gabriel Vega, during a press conference on Wednesday evening.

He also questioned online speculation about her lifestyle. “People are posting photos of her when she went out dancing,” he said. “Why don’t they post photos of her going to school?”

Barrelier was already involved in a legal case for allegedly kidnapping a woman in 2025. He was held for 20 days in that case before being released on bail.