Jesús Cuevas, the eldest of four siblings, was known for his generous heart and dedication to family. From a young age, he showed a strong sense of responsibility, especially towards his loved ones. Studying law at the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo, he launched a promising career in real estate, where his commitment and work ethic quickly distinguished him among his colleagues. Beyond his job, Jesús made time for community work, offering free English classes to visually impaired individuals, driven by a deep desire to make a difference. His ultimate dream was to secure financial stability for his parents, ensuring they’d never have to worry about money.
The Friendship with Francisco “Anthony” García
In contrast to Jesús Cuevas’s steady nature was Francisco Javier García, often called Anthony. At 32, two years Jesús’s senior, Anthony shared custody of his young son after a tumultuous relationship with his ex-wife, Giselle. Known for his intense personality, he was often heard arguing with Giselle, yet he showed a different, warmer side to neighborhood teenagers. Anthony’s gaming setup—a small room outfitted with a mirror, fan, game CDs, and a gaming chair—became a popular spot for local teens to play Mortal Kombat on his computer and PlayStation 3.
When Jesús and Anthony met in 2016, a quick friendship formed, fueled by shared ambitions. Their partnership took shape as they established a side business in informal lending, with Jesús providing the capital and Anthony handling client interactions. Jesús Cuevas aimed to support his family, while Anthony was focused on creating a better future for his son.
However, in mid-2022, Anthony’s career took a downturn with his dismissal from the real estate company, which led to financial struggles. He soon faced difficulties in meeting his obligations, including child support. Meanwhile, Jesús Cuevas’s career continued to thrive, and a much-anticipated promotion was on the horizon by year-end, bringing him closer to achieving his family-centered goals.
Read more Tori Stafford: An 8-Year-Old’s Life Cut Tragically Short
A Sudden Disappearance
On October 6, 2022, Jesús Cuevas began his day as usual, heading to work with no visible concerns. Yet that evening, his family grew worried when they hadn’t heard from him since he left. His brother, Omar, noticed a green shirt in the laundry—indicating that Jesús Cuevas may have briefly returned home. Assuming he might be out with friends, the family held off reaching out to others.
By the following day, with no word from Jesús Cuevas, the family contacted his office, where supervisors confirmed he hadn’t been seen. Growing increasingly alarmed, the Cuevas family reached out to friends, only to find no one had seen him. By Friday night, they filed a missing person’s report with the police.
The authorities moved quickly, reviewing security footage and interviewing Jesús’s family and friends, but there was little evidence of his whereabouts. His family responded with urgency, distributing flyers with Jesús’s description around the community, but as days passed without new information, the family’s anxiety intensified.
Jesús’s case underscored a concerning trend in the Dominican Republic. A report from the Center for Security and Defense Studies revealed that between 2017 and 2022, 1,883 people were reported missing, with nearly 500 cases remaining unsolved. In 2022 alone, 372 individuals had gone missing, with less than half located. Ariel, Jesús’s brother, feared that his sibling’s disappearance might become part of these unsettling statistics. Despite official statements suggesting that mental health issues might play a role in such cases, the Cuevas family knew that Jesús Cuevas had no history of depression or psychological issues. He was known for keeping his family informed about his location, frequently sharing his real-time location with Ariel when he was out.
After reviewing nearby surveillance footage, investigators uncovered a crucial piece of evidence. A coworker was seen dropping Jesús Cuevas off at a shopping center around 6:30 PM on October 6, the day of his disappearance. While the image provided a potential lead, it ultimately didn’t bring the authorities any closer to discovering what had happened to Jesús Cuevas.
A Disturbing Discovery
The investigation into Jesús Cuevas’s disappearance took a grim turn when an image surfaced showing him in the same green shirt that later appeared in his laundry basket at home. As weeks stretched into months, Jesús’s family grew desperate for answers, receiving numerous calls reporting sightings of someone resembling him, though each lead ultimately proved to be a dead end.
Amid their heartache, Jesús Cuevas’s family joined forces with the relatives of 126 other missing persons, protesting outside the National Palace to demand action from authorities. Though the police had initially shown enthusiasm, limited resources and a lack of consistent follow-up had left the Cuevas family—and many others—without closure.
In another part of Santo Domingo, a few regular visitors to Anthony García’s gaming room began noticing something unsettling. A powerful, strange odor began emanating from one of his rooms, raising questions among the young men who frequently visited to play video games. When they questioned Anthony, he nonchalantly brushed off their concerns, blaming it on “dead rats” and the dampness in his home.
But as time passed, the smell only grew stronger, seeping out into the alley, where it caught the attention of Anthony’s neighbors. Assuming the odor originated from a faulty sewer, a group of neighbors even cleaned out a nearby septic tank, but to no avail. The stench continued to intensify, becoming so potent that residents found it difficult to eat or carry on with their routines.
Even Anthony’s ex-wife noticed the foul odor when she visited to drop off their young son. Each time, the smell was particularly noticeable on the staircase or in the hallway leading to his apartment. Yet Anthony remained unfazed, going about his daily life as if nothing were wrong, and most people continued to assume it was simply a dead animal somewhere on the property.
Read more Gary Plauche: A Father Kills His Son’s Abuser
A Breakthrough in the Case
Nearly a month after Jesús’s disappearance, investigators uncovered a potential lead that had been overlooked—Anthony, Jesús’s former coworker and business partner. On November 3, authorities secured a warrant to search Anthony’s residence on Sanchez Road. As police arrived and knocked on the door, Anthony made a cryptic apology to a close neighbor, hinting that something unusual was happening. The neighbor noticed a strange look in his eyes—an unusual mix of embarrassment and distress.
Upon entering the house, police were hit by an overpowering stench that led them to a room on the third floor. There, they found a blue plastic container sealed with a bag. When officers opened it, they discovered another bag inside, and the horrifying truth came to light: the remains of Jesús Cuevas, dismembered and in an advanced state of decomposition. The body had been in the container for nearly a month, fitting the timeline of Jesús’s disappearance.
The Shocking Scene Inside
As Anthony was led away in handcuffs, officers continued their search of the premises, uncovering hammers, blades, saws, and other tools that might have been used in the gruesome crime. Another striking detail emerged: many areas of the house were covered in coffee grounds, suggesting Anthony had made no effort to clean but had tried to mask the smell of Jesús’s remains.
By 8 PM, neighbors gathered outside, watching as police removed the container. Shocked and in disbelief, they struggled to reconcile the image of the friendly, quiet Anthony they had known for years with the grim reality. A neighbor, who wished to remain anonymous, described him as polite and reserved, someone who always greeted her with a smile. Another local resident pointed to a concrete wall near the sidewalk, a spot where Anthony often sat, seemingly lost in thought. No one could have imagined that the overwhelming odor in the alley had been coming from his house all along, let alone from a tragic crime hidden behind locked doors.
Neighbors who had seen Anthony as an ordinary resident were stunned when the truth came to light. One neighbor shared her horror, recounting how he continued his routines as if nothing had happened. Subtly, Anthony’s behavior had changed in recent weeks—he began limiting the visits of teenagers who regularly stopped by for video games, forbidding them from using the bathroom or accessing a locked room. Reports from others revealed that Anthony had a history of violence, often shouting at his wife when she still lived with him, which some neighbors overheard but hadn’t thought would lead to such extremes.
Although none of the neighbors knew Jesús Cuevas personally, local security footage confirmed that he had visited Anthony’s home regularly. Jesús’s remains were sent to the National Institute of Forensic Sciences for an autopsy to determine the cause of death. Days later, the results were grim—hemorrhagic shock from stab wounds to the chest inflicted by a sharp weapon. Experts deduced that Jesús was stabbed from behind, likely while seated, followed by thirteen additional wounds. Anthony then dismembered his body, placing the remains into a blue barrel where they were later discovered. The time of death corresponded with Jesús’s disappearance nearly a month prior.
Anthony’s Confession
In a chilling confession, Anthony admitted to inviting Jesús Cuevas to his home on October 6 via WhatsApp. Once Jesús arrived, Anthony attacked him, stabbing him fatally. After confirming his death, Anthony dismembered the body, wrapping the pieces in plastic and black bags, which he then stored in the blue barrel in a back room. For 29 days, he continued living with the remains in his home, even hosting his young son and visitors, apparently confident he would evade suspicion.
Despite admitting to the crime, Anthony remained tight-lipped about his motive. Jesús’s family, however, believed the murder was financially motivated. According to Ariel, Jesús’s brother, Jesús had lent Anthony $2,000 and went to Anthony’s home on October 6 to collect the debt. With Anthony recently unemployed, the family speculated that the two may have argued over the money. A former coworker supported this theory, recounting that Jesús had indeed been generous with Anthony during their time at the real estate agency.
Later, Anthony offered a different explanation, claiming that Jesús owed him money and that the conflict began when Jesús Cuevas refused to repay him. However, this version was widely doubted; as a responsible and financially stable person, it seemed improbable that Jesús Cuevas would be indebted to his unemployed friend.
Read more Kelley Clayton: The Murder Solved by Her Brave 7-Year-Old
Legal Proceedings
Following these revelations, a judge ordered Anthony to remain in custody for three months while the prosecution built its case. As the investigation unfolded, media outlets and social platforms buzzed with theories about the crime, some suggesting a romantic link between Jesús Cuevas and Anthony, which fueled further rumors and distress for the Cuevas family. At Jesús’s funeral, attended by friends, family, and sympathetic community members, his aunt spoke to the media, firmly rejecting the rumors and emphasizing her nephew’s integrity. Her statements underscored the family’s wish to see justice done without the added pain of public speculation.
In February 2023, the case finally moved to court, where Anthony faced homicide charges. Due to procedural delays, the judge extended his detention by three months, but on March 13, 2024, a guilty verdict was reached. Anthony was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the murder and dismemberment of Jesús Cuevas.
After the trial, Jesús’s family expressed both relief and lingering sorrow, finding solace in the conviction, though they felt the sentence was insufficient for the enormity of the crime. Through tears, they thanked the court for finally bringing some measure of justice, knowing that while the sentence could never bring Jesús Cuevas back, it marked a step toward closure for their family.
The devastating impact of Jesús Cuevas’s death continues to haunt his siblings. From the moment he disappeared, they feared the worst, yet coming to terms with the brutal reality has been a struggle. His parents, too, remain heartbroken—his father, known for his stoic nature, broke down in tears for the first time in nearly two decades when Jesús’s body was discovered.
Frustration with the Investigation Process
Ariel, Jesús Cuevas’s brother, voiced deep frustration with the investigation’s timeline. Reflecting on the experience, he found it incomprehensible that prosecutors did not work weekends, delaying critical steps such as reviewing security footage until the following Monday. In Ariel’s view, the initial hours after a disappearance are vital, and he strongly believes that investigative resources should be expanded beyond Santo Domingo. In a city where two individuals go missing daily, Ariel advocates for a more robust, nationwide approach to investigations, emphasizing the need for additional departments dedicated to urgent cases across the country.
