A mother has been arrested for allegedly stabbing her 28-year-old daughter to death with a butcher’s knife in Argentina, after sending a cryptic audio message that authorities are now racing to decipher for clues about what prompted the killing.
The shocking crime came to light on the evening of 12 June when a 40-year-old man approached police claiming his sister had admitted to him that she had attacked her daughter. Officers rushed to a residence in Tres Isletas, in Argentina’s Chaco province, where they found Pamela Magalí Gauna lying in a pool of blood. She showed no signs of life. Beside her body lay a butcher’s knife with a blade exceeding 30 centimetres, believed to be the murder weapon. According to sources cited by the Daily Star, forensic specialists found numerous stab wounds to Pamela’s face and neck, as well as defensive wounds on her hands consistent with a struggle.
Almost simultaneously, the suspect, Irma Gladis Pérez — believed to be aged 58 or 60 — walked into a police station and surrendered herself voluntarily. She was detained and remains in custody. Detectives confiscated the blade, mobile phones and other items considered relevant to the investigation from the property.
An audio message linked to Pérez, sent before the killing, has since emerged and is now being examined by investigators. In the recording, Pérez is alleged to have said: “Before they deal with her in Buenos Aires, I’ll deal with her myself.” Officials have not yet established what the statement refers to or who she believed was threatening her daughter.
The case has baffled detectives. No previous complaints or reports of conflict between mother and daughter have been uncovered, leaving investigators with no clear motive. Pamela, an only child, had the phrase “My mum is everything” in her Facebook biography. She was a regular churchgoer, and is survived by her father, who works as a schoolteacher. Online tributes described her as “sweetness personified.” Detectives are now examining the pair’s histories, medical records and witness accounts in an effort to establish the context behind the attack.
