Mystery of the Woman Found Dead in Alanje Panama.  No Arrests and the Cause of Death has not yet been Officially Determined

One year after the macabre discovery of the lifeless body of Yolanda Espinoza Gómez, known as ‘Ponchita’ or ‘La Bailadora’, there are no people detained nor an officially determined cause of death, and the investigation by the Public Ministry remains stalled, according to authorities and local sources.  On January 9, 2025, residents of Alanje, in the province of Chiriquí, found the body of Espinoza, 54, in an advanced state of decomposition in a rice field in front of the town’s school.  The body was completely naked and only had a white striped sock on one foot, a scene that deeply shocked this small community.  Since then, authorities have been unable to identify or link any suspects, partly because the condition in which the body was found hampered initial forensic examinations. 

The death of Yolanda Espinoza, whose body was found in a rice field in January 2025 in Chiriquí, remains shrouded in doubt and official silence

The Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences has also been unable to conclusively establish the cause of death, as the analyses did not show clear signs of external violence, such as wounds, fractures or bullet impacts.  Although family members and friends have indicated that Yolanda was the victim of an attempted abuse weeks before her death, a complaint that, according to residents, was not addressed in a timely manner, the judicial file remains without charges or formal suspects, which has generated frustration and a strong feeling of impunity among the inhabitants of the area. 

The last time Espinoza was seen alive was on the night of January 6, 2025, when she left the Jardín Los Mellos bar. Three days later, her body was found in the rice paddy, raising concerns among neighbors and gender violence activists.  Residents have questioned the slowness of the investigation process and have demanded concrete results from the authorities.  According to official figures, two cases of femicide were recorded in the province of Chiriquí in 2025.  Yesterday, January 9, 2026, the community remembered Yolanda with commemorative acts and a renewed demand for justice, in a day that, according to its inhabitants, seeks to prevent a crime of this gravity from being forgotten and without sanctions.