Overview
- The heads were hung between wooden posts beside a written threat that warned alleged robbers and extortionists targeting local fishermen.
- Relatives gave preliminary identifications for five men named in police reports, with formal forensic work underway in Manta.
- Specialized units from Criminalistics and Dinased processed the scene, collected evidence, and conducted searches that have not located the bodies.
- Police have announced no arrests and attribute the crime to disputes within organized groups, with reported links to Los Choneros.
- The incident follows late-December mass killings in Manabí and comes as Ecuador confronts record homicide levels tied to narcotics trafficking and extortion.