Fabiola Alejandra Caicedo Piña, 19, was identified by her tattoos after her body parts were discovered at a water treatment plant in Lima, Peru, with a murder investigation underway
A teenager’s body had to be identified by her tattoos after her dismembered body was found in bags at a water treatment plant. Staff made the gruesome discovery of the body parts and police have now said they belong to Fabiola Alejandra Caicedo Piña.
Her distinctive tattoos, including the phrase “Love me for who I am” in English on her arm, helped the keen TikToker be identified and detectives believe she may have been strangled before being dismembered. Fabiola, aged 19, posted videos of herself dancing and posing on TikTok, and had just shy of 5,000 followers. Her final video on the platform – where she went by the nickname “China Baby” – was posted on June 5.
Two days later, her cousin reported her missing. Fabiola’s remains were found in the El Agustino district of Lima, Peru, on June 9. One motive under consideration by police is revenge by the family or close circle of her ex-boyfriend, who died in 2022 in unclear circumstances.
Fabiola – originally from Barquisimeto, Venezuela – left her country in 2022, when she was 16. She was accompanied by her then-boyfriend Mayner Yoffrey Giménez Castrillo, who was 21 years older than her.
Their journey – according to Fabiola’s family – was voluntary but illegal. Once in Lima, they lived together in a rental flat in the Huaycán district, where – months later – Mayner was found dead. His death was ruled as suicide, but his family never believed this version.
They reportedly accuse Fabiola and an alleged Venezuelan lover of being behind his death. Despite this, she was never formally investigated and continued her life in Lima working at nightclubs and bars.
Some reports say the area where she worked is controlled by Venezuelan gangs, who had threatened to make her “pay” for Mayner’s death. It is alleged that she had been recruited by a faction of the criminal organisation Antitren, which provided her with protection.
Police believe that on the night before her death, she was lured away from a party under false pretences. Some reports say she was tortured – with cigarette burns on her legs and feet – before being killed.
Her remains were allegedly dumped into the Rímac River and ended up at the water treatment plant. Detectives are still reviewing CCTV footage and gathering statements from those who knew Fabiola. There have been no arrests yet, but local media say key breakthroughs are expected in the coming days.