Two brothers were arrested under suspicion of having robbed and attacked 11-year-old Morena Domínguez in the Buenos Aires province district of Lanús Wednesday, ultimately causing her death minutes later. The tragic incident sent shock waves through Argentine society, causing candidates from the ruling and opposition coalitions to suspend their closing campaign rallies for Sunday’s primaries.

Miguel Ángel (28) and Darío Humberto Madariaga (25) are being charged with “homicide during a robbery,” which could lead to a 10 to 25 years sentence if proven guilty.

Lanús prosecutor Silvia Bussano said Thursday that there is enough evidence to say that the Madariaga brothers are “responsible for the crime.”

Morena Domínguez died 7.30 a.m. Wednesday after two men on a motorbike stole her belongings and violently hit her when she was about to enter her school. According to the preliminary autopsy results, she died from severe internal bleeding caused by a strong blow to the abdomen, 20 minutes after she was admitted to the nearby Evita Hospital, judiciary sources told Télam.

The suspects were transported to the prosecutor’s office to testify on Thursday morning. 

“Security cameras helped” identify the suspects, Bussano told C5N TV news station, adding that “witness testimonies and intelligence tasks also helped find them.”

Just days before the primaries on Sunday, the case has sparked a political furor. One of the more tense political exchanges was led by Lanús’ Security Minister Diego Kravetz — also Juntos por el Cambio (JxC)’s mayoral candidate for the district — who accused a congressional deputy of being indirectly related to Morena’s death. Back in February, Deputy Natalia Zaracho defended a 14-year-old boy who was being attacked by police officers — that same boy was arrested on Wednesday and initially pinned as the prime suspect in the fatal robbery. Kravetz took aim at Zaracho for having stood up for the minor, saying in a Thursday interview with Radio con Vos that he was a gang member and had confessed to the crime to protect his partners. 

This version of events was published in several media outlets, citing the Lanús municipal government as a source — however, hours later, Bussano said on the same radio station that no such confession had been made and that no minors were involved in Morena’s death.

The incumbent mayor of Lanús, Néstor Grindetti, is one of JxC’s gubernatorial candidates for Buenos Aires province in Sunday’s primaries. He was scheduled to hold his closing event in the Lanús Microestadio stadium on Thursday, together with presidential candidate Patricia Bullrich, who supports his bid.

— with information from Télam.