Investigation continues Army major arrested for death of 19-year-old in Los Guandules

The National Police, in coordination with the Public Prosecutor’s Office, reported that they arrested the alleged perpetrator of the death of the young Perla Jokasta Santos Pacheco, 19, who died from a gunshot wound to the head, which occurred in the early hours of December 26, 2025, in the Los Guandules sector of the National District.

The detainee is the major of the Army of the Dominican Republic (ERD), Diego Geraldo Mesa Arismendy, 48, whose arrest was the result of exhaustive investigative work carried out by members of the Operational Department II of Homicide Investigations, attached to the Central Directorate of Investigation (Dicrim).

As part of the investigative process, the acting agents conducted multiple surveys of video surveillance cameras and collected and analyzed evidence, enabling them to identify, locate, and arrest the alleged perpetrator of the act.

Major Mesa Arismendy was arrested in accordance with established legal procedures and is in custody to be placed at the disposal of the Public Prosecutor’s Office for the corresponding purposes.

The investigations are still ongoing, so more details will be offered in due course as the judicial process progresses.