Ecuador's youngest mayor, her communications director found fatally shot in vehicle

The youngest mayor in Ecuador's history was found shot dead next to her staffer in a car on the side of a road in the South American country on Sunday morning, according to police.

Reuters reported that the mayor of San Vicente, Ecuador, 27-year-old Brigitte Garcia, and her communications director, Jairo Loor, were found shot to death in the province of Manabi.

National police said they are investigating the deaths, adding that it appeared the gunfire came from inside the car.

The vehicle Garcia and Loor were in was rented and had a GPS system inside that was being tracked.

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San Vicente, Ecuador Mayor Brigitte Garcia, 27, was found shot alongside her communications director on the morning of March 24, 2024. (Municipio San Vicente X Video)

Garcia was a member of former President Rafael Correa’s Citizen Revolution Movement party.

Ecuador is in the middle of a wave of violence which authorities have blamed on drug trafficking.

Correa and the party’s presidential candidate in the country’s most recent election, Luisa Gonzalez, called Garcia’s death an assassination on X.

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San Vicente, Ecuador Mayor Brigitte Garcia, 27, was found shot alongside her communications director on the morning of March 24, 2024. (Municipio San Vicente X Video)

"I've just found out they've assassinated our fellow mayor of San Vicente Brigitte Garcia," Gonzalez said in a post. "I have no words, in shock, nobody is safe in Ecuador, NOBODY."

Garcia is the latest political figure in Ecuador to be killed.

Last August, presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, a critic of corruption and organized crime, was assassinated as he was leaving a campaign event just two weeks before voters headed to the polls.

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San Vicente, Ecuador Mayor Brigitte Garcia, 27, was found shot alongside her communications director on the morning of March 24, 2024. (Municipio San Vicente X Video)

President Daniel Noboa, in January, declared a state of emergency in the country after a spike in violence. In one instance, armed men invaded a television station during a live broadcast.

Noboa has also designated 22 criminal groups as terrorist organizations.

While his declaration was made in January, Noboa extended the state of emergency earlier this month.

On Sunday, Noboa’s government condemned the killings and said it was working with national police to ensure a swift investigation.

Garcia’s death was shocking to the Municipality of San Vicente.

"Let us always remember her indomitable spirit, her humanity and her dedication to making the world a better place," the municipality wrote on X. "Shine forever eternal citizen mayor [Brigitte]."

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In one of Garcia’s latest posts, she let her constituents know she met with a bank to go over the phases of a water project to bring water to their canton.

"Together, we build a brighter future for our community," she wrote.

Reuters contributed to this report.