BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (JTA) — Two Israeli women that had been missing in Argentina for the last two weeks were found dead.
The bodies of Dr. Lily Pereg, 54, an associate professor of microbiology at the University of New England in Australia, and her sister, Pyrhia Sarusi, 63, were found on Saturday buried under debris in the home of Sarusi’s son, Gil Pereg, in Mendoza province, in the north west of the country. The sisters, who had been traveling in Argentina, had not been heard from since Jan. 12.
Gil Pereg was charged in Argentina with homicide for the death of his aunt and aggravated homicide due to a family tie in the death of his mother.
In a raid last week, police found four guns in his home, money in euro, dollars and pesos totaling $80 000, and dozens of cats and dogs, some dead.
Gil Pereg told investigators he saw the pair get on board a public bus in the hours prior to their disappearance to return to the downtown area of Mendoza, where they were staying in a rented apartment.
But a DNA test of blood discovered in his house matched DNA found in the toothbrushes of the missing tourists, and a new raid was ordered for Saturday.
Gil Pereg, who has lived in Argentina since 2007, is under arrest and has a state’s attorney to defend him.
If he is found guilty on the count of simple homicide he could be sentenced to 8-25 years of prison. The aggravated homicide could carry a life sentence.
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