The dismembered remains of a missing “millionaire” crypto influencer have been found stuffed inside a suitcase in Argentina just weeks after his latest disturbing posts described “evil people” who wanted to “destroy” him.
“Cleanly minced” body parts of Fernando Pérez Algaba, 41, were found in a red suitcase abandoned by two children playing soccer in a stream in Ingeniero Budge, Buenos Aires, on July 23.
The body of Algaba, who had suffered two gunshot wounds, was found days after his July 19 disappearance.
At the scene, investigators reportedly found the victim’s legs and forearm in the suitcase before finding a full arm in the stream. A torso was later spotted and his head was found inside a backpack.
The body parts were cleanly amputated, suggesting the mutilation could have been performed by a professional.
A four-letter tattoo on one 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 was said to be heavily in debt, was killed with two shots that entered his back, according to the Argentine agency telam.
A murder investigation has been opened and a suspect has reportedly been arrested.
The mutilated body of missing Fernando Pérez Algaba, 41, was found days after he posted a series of cryptic messages about “evil people”.
Algaba had 918,000 followers on Instagram, where he flaunted his luxurious life of high-end cars, jet skis and exclusive parties
Two children found the abandoned suitcase with its body riddled with bullet holes while playing 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. The luggage is believed to have been taken from their home, but it is not known if it is linked to the attack.
According to local media, Algaba had sent and received more than 200 hostile audio and text messages.
Algaba was reportedly threatened by a man who demanded repayment of a debt of almost $70,000 and claimed that Algaba was “toxic” and had “betrayed” him.
“I’m not going to kill you, I’m going to make you worse, I’m going to gouge out your eyes and chop off your hands so you have no more money in your life,” one of the posts said according to the Argentinian agency telam.
Other messages referred to two other men to whom Algaba owed money.
Algaba had also accumulated “unrecoverable” debts with the Argentine tax agency when his company, Motors Lettuce SRL, was in financial difficulty.
The businessman left a note on his phone admitting he lost a significant amount of money after investing in crypto, the Nation reported.
A four-letter tattoo on one hand confirmed that the remains belonged to Algaba, who was found in this red suitcase
Algaba (left) started selling sandwiches when he was 14, but later made his fortune investing in cryptocurrencies and the stock market
Algaba described himself as an investor who also sold and leased luxury vehicles
Algaba had 918,000 followers on Instagram, where he flaunted his luxurious life of high-end cars, jet skis and exclusive parties.
But before his death, he posted a series of disturbing messages on social media.
One showed the heavily inked businessman in a car with an audio recording saying, “It’s amazing there are such bad people in the world that while you’re thinking about helping them , they think of destroying you.”
Another audio clip read: ‘Hi mum, I needed to clear my head as always. And from here, I realize two things: that we cannot escape the problems and that the problems will follow us.
It is not known when the murder took place, but a woman told authorities that she had made an appointment with him on July 19 to return the keys to the apartment he had rented to her. But he didn’t show up.
The businessman described himself as an investor who also sold and leased luxury vehicles.
But Algaba reportedly found itself under financial and legal pressure, with one of its companies not even having a tax identification number while another was flagged for fraud and a third had debts.
His creditors had also been suing him for a few years, initiating proceedings against him following bad checks.
Algaba was living in Miami in the United States until earlier this year when he traveled to Spain. Shortly before his murder, 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 history.
He sold sandwiches and delivered pizza in his hometown before buying vehicles to repair and resell.
He started selling sandwiches when he was 14, but later made his fortune investing in cryptocurrencies and the stock market.
At the age of 24, he owned a huge warehouse full of high-end vehicles.
Algaba once said in an interview: “I traveled a lot to Paraguay to buy tires; they were much cheaper than in Argentina.
“It allowed me to refurbish the cars and resell them for a better price.”
He had registered several companies through notaries in recent years.
He was living in Miami in the United States until earlier this year when he traveled to Spain. Shortly before his assassination, he had returned to Argentina.
