Argentine UxP senator found dead in his Ushuaia home

Unión por la Patria (UxP) senator for Tierra del Fuego Matías Rodríguez was found dead in his Ushuaia home on Wednesday. His bodyguards were the ones who found the body upon entering the house after not hearing from Rodríguez for a few hours. According to the police, the death is being treated as a potential suicide.

“We […] found a note, but we are investigating all possibilities and possible theories,” judiciary sources told Télam news agency. According to sources close to Rodríguez, the senator had been working with his normal schedule in the days leading up to his death. He was seen at the local political rally on Tuesday.

All sides of the political spectrum expressed their shock and grief over the death of the 41-year-old, who was a leading figure of Peronism in Tierra del Fuego. Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner said she was “deeply pained,” and extended her condolences to his friends and family. Rodríguez is survived by three daughters.

“I am deeply pained by the death of Tierra del Fuego national senator Matías Rodríguez. May God and the Virgin Mary help you rest in peace, dear comrade,” Kircher said in a post on the website X (formerly Twitter).

Profundo dolor por el fallecimiento del senador nacional por Tierra del Fuego Matías Rodríguez. Querido compañero, que Dios y la Virgen te ayuden a descansar en paz. Mis condolencias a sus hijos y seres queridos.
— Cristina Kirchner (@CFKArgentina) October 18, 2023

Tierra del Fuego governor and UxP member Gustavo Mella remembered Rodríguez via a post on X, calling him an “important figure of [Tierra del Fuego] politics who worked with conviction and passion” on behalf of the province. Pablo Blanco, a Tierra del Fuego senator from Juntos por el Cambio (JxC), also posted a heartfelt farewell message.

“You can’t leave like this, Matías. Thousands of us loved you. Screw party differences when life itself is on the line […] A kind, lovable guy. What great sorrow. I will miss you, until always,” Blanco wrote on X.

No te podés ir así Matías. Somos miles los que te queríamos. Al carajo con las diferencias partidarias cuando lo que está en juego es la vida misma. No eras una promesa, eras una realidad. Un tipo amable, querible. Qué pena inmensa siento. Te voy a extrañar.
Hasta siempre. pic.twitter.com/zTLoleHeBS
— Pablo Daniel Blanco (@blancopabloda) October 18, 2023

Judge Federico Vidal and prosecutor Nicolás Arias of Ushuaia Court N°3 are in charge of the investigation. The provincial government has declared three days of mourning in honor of the senator, with the flags of public buildings flying half-mast.

If you or someone you know has had thoughts of harming themself or taking their own life, help is available. You can phone 011-5275-1135 or 0800-345-1435 nationwide to reach the Centro de Asistencia al Suicida’s 24/7 crisis lifeline — if you’re in Buenos Aires, dial 135 for their toll-free helpline.

—with information from Télam

Argentine UxP senator found dead in his Ushuaia home

Police say Matías Rodríguez’s death is being treated as a potential suicide

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