Overview

• Search teams of more than 130 responders found the 22-year-old in a roughly 10‑metre‑deep aljibe on the Los Zorrinos rural road near Route 12 after a three‑day operation with dogs and drones.
• Gustavo “Pino” Brondino, 55, was detained after resisting an early‑morning raid, and investigators seized cellphones, carabines and a white Toyota Hilux for analysis.
• Police traced movements using security cameras and telecom data after Mendieta’s Chevrolet Corsa was discovered abandoned with the keys, and investigators flagged her last communications as leads.
• Forensic work is underway on the seized weapons, vehicles and phones, with luminol indicating blood in the truck and hairs recovered, pending confirmation of whether the blood is human and any DNA links.
• The case is led by prosecutors Emilce Reynoso and Sergio Saliski as a suspected femicide, with lines of inquiry exploring a possible jealousy motive and whether a scene was staged to hide the crime.