Deaths in Colombia tied to dating apps

A series of mysterious deaths involving American men in Colombia has been linked to dating apps. Relatives of those killed are now searching for answers, writes Austin Landis in Medellin.

“He talked about the high-spirited people… just enjoying life,” his brother, Eh Xiong, told BBC News. “He even picked up Spanish.”

“It never, ever even crossed his mind that he would end up in a tragic incident this way.”

Tou Ger, 50, was a Hmong-American community activist and comedian from Minnesota. Prior to his most recent trip to Medellin, he had been speaking to a woman online.

A few weeks into his two-month visit, in mid-December, he called his brother and asked him for $2,000 but didn’t say what it was for or that anything was wrong. Eh said he would transfer the money. He never heard from his brother again.

The next day, police found Tou Ger’s body in a remote, wooded area of the city. A friend in Medellin explained to Eh that his brother had been kidnapped and held at gunpoint for the $2,000 ransom.

“I did not want to believe it. I didn’t know if it was really happening,” Eh said. “My heart just sank.”

Eh scrambled to contact the US embassy, who confirmed it was his brother’s body.

Colombian police this week arrested a woman and two men linked to his death, charging them with kidnapping and murder.

It’s not clear whether he first met the woman through a dating app or through friends. But his death is one of eight in Medellin that prompted a warning from the US embassy about the risks of using dating apps. All eight victims were Americans who died in suspicious circumstances in November and December.

The US state department said it was aware of a gang in the city that previously used dating apps to isolate victims before abducting and killing them. But it’s unclear if a gang was behind the US deaths.

 

Source: BBC