Catalina Gutiérrez, a 21-year-old social media influencer and architecture student, was found dead on July 17, 2024, in her mother’s burned car in the Ampliación Kennedy neighborhood of Córdoba.
Her classmate, Néstor Soto, has been arrested and charged with her murder.
Catalina’s Life
Born in 2003, Catalina was a native of Córdoba, Argentina. She gained prominence on social media platforms, particularly Instagram and TikTok, where she shared videos of herself dancing and moments from her life, amassing over 138,000 followers.
On the evening of her disappearance, Catalina planned to meet friends for a casual night of bowling at the Patio Olmos Shopping Center.
At 9:00 p.m., She left home in her mother’s silver Renault Clio, sending a cheerful voice message to her boyfriend, saying, “I’m on my way, my love. See you soon.” She was expected to pick up Néstor Soto on the way—but she never arrived.
The Search for Catalina
Catalina’s sudden silence was concerning and unusual.
Her phone calls went unanswered, and her texts remained unread—highly unusual for someone so active on social media.
Her worried friends contacted her family, who confirmed they had not heard from her since she left home.
By morning, after a sleepless night, her parents filed a missing person’s report.
While law enforcement initially hesitated—given that she was an adult missing for less than 24 hours—her loved ones took matters into their own hands.
Catalina’s sister recalled that they always shared their locations for safety. When she checked her sister’s phone data, Catalina’s last known location pinged at 3900 Pedro Atchar Street, a residential area in South Córdoba.
Meanwhile, local residents had already alerted authorities to a suspicious vehicle with tinted windows that had been abandoned overnight.
The air around the car reeked of ash and burnt material.
When officers arrived, they found the silver Renault Clio, and inside, Catalina’s burned body was found in the back seat.
The Crime
An autopsy confirmed that Catalina was not killed by fire.
She had been strangled and hit multiple times, showing signs of a violent struggle. The fire seemed to be an attempt to destroy evidence, but it didn’t work.
Investigators turned their attention to her boyfriend, as he had been the last to hear from her. However, surveillance footage and alibi witnesses placed him at the shopping center all night, ruling him out as a suspect.
The next person on their radar was Néstor Soto—the friend Catalina was supposed to pick up before her disappearance.
His initial statements to police were inconsistent.
He claimed Catalina never arrived at his house, yet phone records showed her presence outside his home for 38 minutes.
Detectives soon found that Néstor had deleted multiple text messages from the night of her disappearance.
When confronted with this evidence, his story began to unravel. Under pressure, he broke down in tears, muttering: “She was the love of my life.”
Investigators pieced together the sequence of events.
On July 17, Catalina had arrived at Néstor’s home. It was there that he finally confessed his romantic feelings for her. However, Catalina did not reciprocate his love, a rejection that sent Néstor into a violent rage.
He strangled her inside the car, delivering repeated blows to her body. Catalina had no defensive wounds, suggesting that she had little chance to fight back.
After killing her, Néstor moved her body to the backseat and drove to a remote location at 3900 Pedro Atchar Street.
In a desperate effort to conceal his crime, he set the car on fire, unaware that Catalina’s phone inside the vehicle would ultimately lead police straight to the scene.
Arrest
Néstor’s post-crime behavior was chilling.
In the hours following the murder, he made eight phone calls to Catalina’s mother, pretending to be concerned.
The following morning, he joined her boyfriend and her family in the search efforts, even hugging Catalina’s grieving parents at the police station.
His careful efforts to pretend he was innocent initially stopped people from suspecting him—until digital forensics and inconsistencies in his statements exposed his lies.
Upon searching Néstor’s home, police found Catalina’s ring hidden in his bedroom. With overwhelming evidence against him, Néstor was arrested and charged with aggravated homicide.
His case was later updated to include gender violence and treachery, increasing the likelihood of a life sentence.
Justice for Catalina
As of 2024, Néstor remains in preventative detention outside of Córdoba, reportedly facing death threats from fellow inmates. His legal team has attempted to claim he was under psychological distress, though he has refused to undergo psychiatric evaluations.
Catalina’s family continues to seek justice, demanding the harshest penalty for Néstor’s actions.
Her father, devastated by the loss of his daughter, stated, “I am in pain and I don’t understand it. The only thing I want is justice and for him to rot in prison for the rest of his life. He does not deserve to live in this society.”
Catalina’s university honored her memory by leaving an empty chair in her classroom, a heartbreaking reminder of the life stolen too soon.
