Pensioner discovered ‘bare, certain and with pillow over his face’ as cops hunt for killer
WARNING, GRAPHIC CONTENT A retired construction worker from Ecuador was found dead in his home on November 30 when his nephew walked into his bedroom and discovered a naked body that was bound and gagged
A pensioner’s “naked and bound” body has been found, sparking a murder probe and a manhunt for the killer. Retired construction worker Mauro Antonio Escalante Ponguillo, 68, was discovered on Sunday, November 30 in his bedroom in Guayaquil, Ecuador.
His nephew – who had entered the house to do laundry – made the grim find before alerting the entire family. The elderly man was completely naked and was bound hand and foot with a pillow pressed over his face, leading investigators to believe he had died of asphyxiation.
Last seen alive on Saturday, the man’s family indicated it may have been a robbery-related crime because several of his personal items were missing, including a cell phone, personal documents and a purse.
Relatives said the last time they saw him alive was on Saturday at 9pm. Security cameras around the man’s 3-storey house show a young couple entering the house at around 11pm, before they left at 11.10pm carrying several extra items.
Family members allege Escalante had been in a relationship for three years with a woman who appears in the clips entering the house alongside another man.
Authorities recovered the body and opened an investigation to identify those responsible, while the family is demanding justice saying Escalante was living a peaceful life after his retirement.
In a separate incident, a robber in the UK who brutally kicked and stamped a pensioner to death before nicking his box of cornflakes and cottage pie has been jailed for 23 years.
Peter Augustine, 59, targeted 87-year-old John Mackey after he had made a trip to his local Co-op store in Manor House, north London, on May 6.
Augustine, 59, was convicted of robbery and murder at the Old Bailey. Augustine failed to attend his televised sentencing, citing back pain as the reason.
Judge Sarah Whitehouse KC told the court: “I have no doubt that the defendant targeted (Mr Mackey) specifically because he was frail – it was a cowardly act, the defendant has shown no remorse.”
Augustine assaulted “gentle, innocent” Mr Mackey “for a box of cornflakes, a pint of milk and a saveloy sausage”, Judge Whitehouse stated, adding that “I have no doubt that if this defendant was genuinely starving and had asked Mr Mackey for help, this kind, generous gentleman would have” aided him.
Mr Mackey’s niece, Patricia Schan, portrayed her “perfect uncle” as “funny, charming, mysterious, and very definitely mischievous”, and proceeded to condemn Augustine’s conduct during the trial.
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.
