The dismembered remains of a missing ‘millionaire’ crypto influencer have been found stuffed inside a suitcase in Argentina just weeks after his disturbing last posts described ‘evil people’ who wanted to ‘destroy’ him.
‘Cleanly chopped’ body parts of Fernando Pérez Algaba, 41, were found in an abandoned red suitcase by two children playing football in a stream in Ingeniero Budge, Buenos Aires, on July 23.
Algaba’s body, which had sustained two bullet wounds, was found days after he was reported missing on July 19.
At the scene investigators reportedly found the victim’s legs and a forearm in the suitcase before finding a complete arm in the stream. A torso was then spotted and his head was found inside a backpack.
The body parts were cleanly amputated, suggesting that the mutilation could have been carried out by a professional.
A four-letter tattoo on a hand confirmed that the remains belonged to Algaba, with fingerprint analysis later providing further confirmation.
According to the autopsy, Algaba, who was nicknamed ‘Lechuga’ (Lettuce) and is claimed to have been in severe debt, was killed with two shots that entered his back area, according to Argentinian agency Telam.
A murder investigation has been launched, and one suspect has reportedly been arrested.
The mutilated body of missing Fernando Pérez Algaba, 41, was found days after he had posted a series of cryptic messages about ‘evil people’
Algaba had 918,000 followers on Instagram, where he flaunted his luxury life of high-end cars, jet skis and exclusive parties
Two children found the abandoned suitcase with his bullet-riddled body as they played football near a stream in Ingeniero Budge, Argentina, on Sunday, according to a report
A suspect was arrested and appeared in court on Thursday after investigators discovered it was their suitcase used in the murder. It is thought that the luggage was taken from their home but it is unclear if they are connected with the attack.
According to local media, Algaba had sent and received more than 200 audio and text messages of a hostile nature.
Algaba had reportedly been threatened by a man who was demanding the return of a debt close to $70,000 and claimed Algaba was ‘poisonous’ and had ‘betrayed him’.
‘I’m not going to kill you, I’m going to do something worse to you, I’m going to gouge out your eyes and cut off your hands so that you can’t have any more money in your life,’ one of the messages said according to Telam.
Further messages referred to two other men to whom Algaba allegedly owed money.
Algaba had also racked up ‘irrecoverable’ debts with Argentina’s tax agency when his company, Motors Lettuce SRL, was struggling financially.
The businessman left a note on his phone admitting that he had lost a significant amount of money after investing in crypto, La Nacion reported.
A four-letter tattoo on a hand confirmed that the remains belonged to Algaba, who was found in this red suitcase
Algaba (left) started selling sandwiches aged 14 but later made a fortune investing in cryptocurrencies and the stock market
Algaba described himself as an investor who also sold and rented luxury vehicles
Algaba had 918,000 followers on Instagram, where he flaunted his luxury life of high-end cars, jet skis and exclusive parties.
But before his death, he had made a series of disturbing posts on social media.
One of them showed the heavily inked businessman in a car with an accompanying audio recording saying: ‘It’s incredible how there are such evil people in the world that while you’re thinking of helping them, they’re thinking of destroying you.’
Another audio clip said: ‘Hello, mum, I needed to clear my head as always. And from here, I am realising two things: that we can’t escape from problems and that problems will follow us.’
It is unclear when the murder took place, but a woman told the authorities she had arranged to meet with him on July 19 to hand back the keys to the apartment he rented to her, but he had failed to show up.
The businessman described himself as an investor who also sold and rented luxury vehicles.
But Algaba reportedly found himself under financial and legal pressure, with one of his companies failing to even have a tax identification number while another was reported for fraud and a third had debts.
His creditors had also been pursuing him in recent years, opening lawsuits against him following bounced cheques.
Algaba had been living in Miami in the USA until early this year, when he travelled to Spain. Shortly before his killing, he had returned to Argentina
Algaba had registered several companies through notaries in recent years
According to local media, Algaba had a rags-to-riches backstory.
He used to sell sandwiches and deliver pizzas in his hometown before buying vehicles to repair and resell. He later made a fortune investing in cryptocurrencies and the stock market.
By the time he was 24, he had a huge warehouse full of high-end vehicles.
Algaba once said in an interview: ‘I travelled to Paraguay a lot to buy tyres; they were much cheaper than in Argentina.
‘This allowed me to refurbish the cars and resell them at a better price.’
He had registered several companies through notaries in recent years.
He had been living in Miami in the USA until early this year, when he travelled to Spain. Shortly before his killing, he had returned to Argentina.