Miss Honduras Found Dead

Maria Jose Alvarado was set to compete in Miss World
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 19, 2014 7:13 AM CST
Miss Honduras Found Dead
In this April 26, 2014 photo, Maria Jose Alvarado is crowned the new Miss Honduras in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.   (AP Photo)

Maria Jose Alvarado, the reigning Miss Honduras who went missing days before she was set to leave for London to prep for the Miss World pageant, was today found dead along with her sister, the BBC reports. Alvarado, 19, and sister Sofia Trinidad, 23, were last seen getting into a vehicle after attending a party Thursday in Honduras for Trinidad's boyfriend. That boyfriend, Plutarco Ruiz, is in police custody along with another man, Aris Maldonado. The two men are thought to be the last people who saw the women, the Guardian reports.

Two other people were also being questioned, according to the BBC. Police were initially hopeful they would find the women alive, noting that no ransom had been demanded. The bodies were found buried near a river in Cablotales village, which USA Today calls a "small mountain village," citing local media. Police reportedly confiscated weapons and a car that was allegedly used to move the bodies; Alvarado was reportedly shot from behind not long after she went missing Thursday night, while her sister was reportedly shot from the front. (More Miss World stories.)

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