Two teenage sweethearts, Paloma Gallardo, 16, and Josue Salvatierra, 14, vanished after heading to the gym in Florencio Varela, Argentina, on January 30, only to be found brutally slain three days later. The young couple’s disappearance sparked a frantic search, ending in tragedy when their bodies were discovered in a desolate area.
Authorities believe they were beaten to death with a rock at a homeless encampment in what appears to be a robbery gone wrong. Paloma’s father, Omar Gallardo, an evangelical pastor and YouTuber, identified her remains and expressed his anguish to local reporters. “I can’t describe what had been done to my daughter’s body,” he said, his voice heavy with grief.
The couple’s cell phones went silent shortly after they left for the gym, and frantic family members began searching for answers. Alicia Pita, Paloma’s mother, recounted the harrowing hours after the teens went missing. “At 9 pm, Josue’s father came to our home to ask about him, because he knew that they had both gone to the gym together, but they never came back,” she said, to The Mirror US.
The families held onto hope, but their worst fears were realized when the bodies were found. “They were not trying to run away from home; it wasn’t about rebelling or adventure. They suffered at the hands of monstrous criminals. While we prayed for a different outcome, it appears God had alternate plans,” Alicia added.
Paloma and Josue were neighbors who had grown up together and shared a close bond. “They stayed in the square like any other teenage couple, they were happy, and there was no fighting. They loved each other very much, they were friends at first and two months ago they started dating. My daughter went out to the square and never came back,” Paloma’s mother said, her voice breaking.
Autopsy reports revealed that both teenagers died from repeated blows to the head with a rock. Neither victim had been bound, and there was no evidence of sexual assault. Police are now reviewing local surveillance footage in hopes of identifying the perpetrators.
The community is reeling from the senseless violence that claimed the lives of two young souls. As the investigation continues, the families mourn their unimaginable loss, remembering Paloma and Josue as a loving couple whose lives were tragically cut short.