Chilean actor goes on vacation to Medellín, meets two women online and appears dead

On the day he died, Alex Araya Castillo met two women in the “airbnb” he had rented for his vacation in fantastical Medellin, Colombia.

The 42-year-old Chilean actor met the women on the dating app Tinderafter arriving in the Colombian city on June 1.

He organized meetings, according to his brother Eduardo Araya in the Chilean newspaper La Tercera, on Monday June 3 and Thursday June 6, even if it was the latter which received all the attention in the context of the investigation carried out today. by the Colombian Prosecutor's Office and his own family.

It was after this meeting that Lex arrived with two women at the place where he was staying, around 11:30 p.m. on Thursday 6 and found dead the next day.

According to the cameras that his relatives were able to view, the recording of his entry into the premises is the last we have of him alive.

To his companions, as, They were seen leaving the site around 1:30 a.m. on Friday the 7th.

They took their cards, We saw that they were doing trips through my brother's Uber account and that's how we realized there were more people involved, that they were part of a group dedicated to doing these things, story Eduardo Araya in La Tercera.

Then he added: “They also took his phone, made purchases with his cards at gas stations, supermarkets, a jewelry store and they also made money orders.”

How did they manage to get the keys? The victim's brother assures that as a family They believe the women drugged him with burundanga and that therefore, being in a defenseless situation, he could have provided information enabling them to use his devices.

The cause of death is still under investigation, although attention has been drawn to the fact that Lex's body was found in the same manner as those of other tourists who died in this town.

They left him naked on the bed, face down. There were no distinct signs of violence by third parties, but the truth is that it is very unclear what happened, Eduardo explained.

Despite this, and taking into account the basic information he was able to gather from Tinder, Uber, available videos and bank statements, Eduardo names the women who entered the apartment that day as the main suspects. It is also certain that they are not acting alone and are part of an organized gang dedicated to attracting tourists.

WHO WAS THE ACTOR?

Alex Andrés Araya Castillo, born in Antofagasta, Chile, entered theater at the Universidad del Desarrollo in 2004 and, between 2006 and 2014, studied theater at DuocUC.

In addition, Alex Araya Castillo -whose friends remember him as a happy and athletic man- had knowledge of martial arts, juggling, singing, guitar and keyboard, highlights the Encancha.cl portal.

Currently, the actor was working at the Gabriela Mistral Cultural Center, where he worked as a lighting designer.

On his Instagram account @_soyelalex, the Chilean has more than 1,800 followers.

At the same time, he defined himself as an actor and theater technician on his platform X. He also participated in a podcast, Poder Hormiga, via Spotify, see Encancha.cl.

INCREASE IN VIOLENT DEATHS

In 2023, at least 31 foreign tourists died in Medellín from violent causes, an increase of 41% compared to the previous year, 2022, warned the Tourism Observatory of the district staff of this Colombian city, capital from the department of Antioquia (northwest). .

Carlos Calle, head of the Colombian Tourism Observatory, recognized that unfortunately there is a profile of visitors that comes after drug tourism and sex tourism.

It's an open secret, this is what is proposed today in the city, precisely because of the lack of conversation () they leave freedom to whoever comes to enjoy it without any control, commented Calle quoted by the EFE agency.