February shakes the country: the cases that have shocked in just 15 days

The first half of February 2026 has been etched in the Dominican collective memory as a period of mourning, violence, and tragedy that has defied the public’s capacity for shock. In just 13 days, a series of fatal events has swept across the nation, from crimes of passion in the heart of the capital to chilling accidents and commercial disasters that have shaken the perception of safety and public order. The country watches with dismay as intolerance and tragedy have intertwined to stain the beginning of this month red.

Gender violence and family conflicts have been painful themes throughout the day. The murder of young Noemí Suárez in the National District, at the hands of her ex-boyfriend, reopened the wounds of a society that relentlessly fights against femicides. 

This tragedy adds to the shock caused by the death of teenager Yokairy Núñez Bueno in the municipality of Sánchez, Samaná, who was shot and killed by a cousin in an incident that has left the entire community in silence and helplessness. These events, along with the double homicide that occurred in a bloody fight between two men in Santa Elena, highlight a crisis of social cohesion that deeply concerns sociologists and authorities.

Uncertainty has also gripped the Cibao region with the case of Brianna Genao González, a young girl in Puerto Plata. Although her disappearance dates back to the end of the previous month, February has been a month of utter despair, even leading to the FBI’s involvement in the investigation. 

Social pressure grows daily as authorities try to decipher the whereabouts of the minor, in a case that has mobilized religious and civil figures who cry out for justice and for the return of peace to Dominican homes. At the same time, the country is still coping with the physical departure of important figures, such as the political leader Ramón Alburquerque.

The last few hours have added drama to this sequence of events with two high-impact incidents, such as in the waters of the Isabela River, where divers were deployed to reinforce the search operation for a motorcyclist who fell into the tributary after a traffic accident that occurred on the Jacinto Peynado bridge, in Villa Mella, municipality of Santo Domingo Norte.

Also, the fire that occurred at the L and R electromuebles store in the same municipality.