Quevedo, Ecuador – A former Miss Ecuador contestant was tragically shot and killed in a shocking incident, revealing her connection to a notorious gang boss. The victim, 23-year-old beauty queen Landy Párraga Goyburo, had been conversing with a man inside a restaurant in Quevedo on last Sunday when she noticed two masked gunmen approaching.
Security footage captured the harrowing moment when one of the assailants swiftly approached Párraga and fired their weapon, causing fatal injuries to both her and the man she had been talking to. The other gunman stood guard at the restaurant’s door before both fled the scene of the crime. The devastating incident left the former beauty queen lifeless on the floor.
Párraga had represented the province of Los Rios in the 2022 Miss Ecuador pageant. She arrived in Quevedo to attend a wedding the previous day, according to local news outlet Ecuavisa. However, her name garnered attention last December when it was mentioned in a conversation between slain drug trafficker Leandro Norero and his accountant, Helive Angulo.
During Norero’s trial, prosecutors unveiled a communication where the gang boss pleaded with Angulo to ensure their connection with Párraga remained hidden after the accountant mentioned that the police had inquired about their relationship. Norero expressed fears that any revelation involving the beauty queen would have dire consequences for him. Notably, Párraga was never charged with any crimes related to Norero, who was later killed in prison just six months into his sentence.
While Párraga’s finances underwent investigation by the Attorney General’s Office, she was never brought to trial nor made any public remarks regarding her ties to Norero or his criminal organization.
Authorities have retrieved Párraga’s body and are currently conducting an investigation into her murder.