Authorities in Jayuya, Puerto Rico, are investigating the death of a 39-year-old woman found unresponsive early Tuesday morning at a residence on PR-177 in the Zamas neighborhood. According to Lt. Lionel Romero of the Criminal Investigations Corps (CIC) in the Utuado region, police were alerted around 4:00 AM via a 9-1-1 call placed by the woman’s husband, who reported she was not responding.
First responders found the woman’s body, which automatically triggered the femicide protocol, Romero said, noting there were no visible signs of violence and that the Institute of Forensic Sciences will determine the cause of death. The woman had not been immediately identified but was reportedly the mother of a teenage daughter and an adult daughter from a previous relationship.
Investigators plan to interview her partner, neighbors, and relatives, and will also look into an alleged incident of gender violence involving her from two or three years ago, as well as a visit she made to a health institution the day before her death for medical assistance.