A 72-year-old Cuban-American identified as Leonel García Álvarez was found dead this Monday on the upper floor of his home in Vedado de Güines, in the province of Mayabeque.
The news was initially reported by crime reporter Niover Licea, who detailed the circumstances of the discovery.
The identity of the victim was confirmed thanks to a comment left directly by the victim's daughter, Yunima García, on Licea's post on TikTok.
“He is my dad, his name is Leonel Garcia Alvarez and he was the best man in the world, noble and always helping everyone. He didn’t deserve such a violent death; I hope they find the culprit soon and justice is served for my father,” wrote the deceased's daughter on TikTok.
According to preliminary reports, the body was found on the upper floor of the house, located behind the Raúl Gómez school in Güines.
Blood traces were observed in various areas of the property, including the garage, through which the attackers are believed to have entered.
Initial reports suggest that García Álvarez may have been the victim of a knife attack.
The residence was equipped with security cameras, the footage of which is being reviewed by the authorities as part of the investigation.
Police and canine units were deployed to the area for tracking tasks, although the dog completed the trail without any conclusive results, as Licea mentioned in his video.
According to the mentioned report, García Álvarez had lived for decades in the United States and had been residing in Güines for about a year after returning to Cuba with the intention of retiring and spending his final years on the island.
On social media, family, friends, and close acquaintances have expressed their shock over the incident and have described the victim as a very beloved person, caring, and good-hearted.
This would be the second Cuban American to lose their life in their home in Cuba in less than two months.
The previous case concerns a man with the last name Ravelo, murdered in the Mantilla neighborhood in Havana, whose family continues to demand justice and notes that access to the house was practically restricted, suggesting that the attacker was someone close.
The crime of García Álvarez also occurs in a municipality shaken by violence, as it was recently reported the femicide of Mariolis López Silio, a woman who was shot and killed in the street in Güines.
Güines has a documented history of violence: in 2023, two Cuban mothers were murdered in Mayabeque in separate cases, and in 2024, a 25-year-old woman was killed by her ex-partner in the same municipality.
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