An Argentine woman who moved to the Mexican tourist hotspot of Playa del Carmen to pursue her modeling career has died after her sister found her in a bathtub with her hands tied and bruises on her body.
Agostina Jalabert, 31, allegedly committed suicide on Feb. 18, according to investigative findings from the Quintana Roo Attorney General’s Office.
However, a lawyer hired by Jalabert’s family reviewed the autopsy and has been in contact with Argentina’s foreign ministry to pressure Mexican authorities to reclassify the case as femicide.
“The autopsy, according to the lawyer, reveals that this is a femicide because of the injuries my daughter has,” Jalabert’s father, Edgardo Jalabert, told the Argentine news network TN.
Argentine model Agostina Jalabert was found dead on February 18 in an apartment she was renting in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. Mexican authorities have ruled her death a suicide, but the family of the 31-year-old woman is urging them to reopen the investigation and reclassify it as a femicide, as the autopsy revealed her body covered in bruises .
Agostina Jalabert’s (left) family suspects her boyfriend Juan Reverter (right) may have killed the 31-year-old model in the Playa del Carmen apartment where they had lived together since December, when he went to visit her and resumed the case. relationship that had been broken since June 2021
Family lawyer Betina Teuly added that while they did not want to interfere with the investigation, “there is enough evidence to prove that Agostina Jalabert was murdered by her boyfriend, Juan Reverter.
The Argentine newspaper Clarin reported that the South American ambassador to Mexico, Carlos Tomada, called Edgardo Jalabert and told him that the prosecutor’s office was investigating the investigation to make sure it was not a suicide.
Edgardo Jalabert said his daughter, the eldest of three, broke up with him Reverter in June 2021 after he and his bitch rescued her from a “toxic” relationship and removed her from the apartment the couple shared at the time.
Agostina Jalabert resumed her relationship with Reverter in December 2022 and he eventually moved in with her after visiting her for Christmas.
Bruna, Agostina Jalabert’s dog, led the model’s sister to the bathroom where she was found dead. The Mexican prosecutor has informed the Argentine ambassador that they are re-examining the investigation to see if there is any evidence that would classify her death as a suicide.
Juan Reverter disappeared from Mexico after his girlfriend Agostina Jalabert was found dead in the Playa del Carmen apartment she rented after moving from Argentina to pursue better modeling opportunities. Reverter, also from Argentina, is accused of murdering her by the family of the 31-year-old woman
On February 18, Candela Jalabert (left) discovered her sister Agostina Jalabert (right) dead in the apartment they shared in Playa del Carmen. Jalabert last saw her sister alive on February 17, and upon returning to the apartment, she was told by security that her sister and her boyfriend, Juan Reverter, had been fighting and that neighbors had called the police. Reverter has not been seen or heard from since Agostina Jalabert’s death
Candela Jalabert, 21, who moved to Mexico with her sister over the summer, last saw her alive on Feb. 17, and returned to the apartment at 7 a.m. the next morning and was told by security that police had entered the apartment. had visited after neighbors reported shouting. away from home twice.
She tried to enter the apartment by entering a security code, which was denied.
Candela Jalabert started banging on the door and was warned by security that she was at risk of being kicked out of the building.
Reverter eventually opened the door and claimed that Agostina Jalabert was asleep.
However, her sister’s dog led her to the bathroom where she saw her sister sitting in the bathtub with a towel wrapped around her hands.
“This character said he was asleep when Candela arrived and asked about his sister,” said Edgardo Jalabert. “The dog, Bruna, led her to the bathroom and there they found Agostina hanging from the towel rack, sitting or semi-sitting (one meter above the floor).”
Agostina Jalabert’s uncle, Germán Jalabert, told online news portal Page 12 that his niece was not suicidal and doubted she would have committed suicide.
‘The towel rail was about four feet off the floor. It’s hard to imagine someone hanging from a height lower than their own height,” he explained. “Candela saw two or three blows, but she didn’t stop there, because when she saw her sister in that situation, she despaired and tried to resuscitate her.”
Agostina Jalabert moved to Mexican tourist hotspot Playa del Carmen in 2022 to pursue better opportunities as a model
He criticized the Mexican authorities, saying their investigative process was riddled with errors.
“None of the basic protocols were applied to investigate and find out the real causes of his death,” said Germán Jalabert. “The friend has not been arrested, his phone has not been seized, no toxicology tests have been performed, nor has it been verified whether he had any injuries.”
Teuly said Reverter had scratches on his face at the time Agostina Jalabert was found dead.
“He ran like a coward,” she said.
The family believes he is in Canada, where he once lived, in Asia or in San Francisco.
Edgardo Jalabert said Reverter’s father allegedly traveled to Mexico and helped him leave the country.
“He never communicated with us and he gave no explanation as he has been living with my daughter for the past two months,” he said.