The Four from Guayaquil: Children Who Disappeared with Soldiers

The Four of Guayaquil: Children Who Disappeared with Soldiers: The forced disappearance of Ismael, Josué, Nehemías, and StevenFour minors went out to play soccer on a December Sunday in the Las Malvinas neighborhood of Guayaquil and were detained by Ecuadorian soldiers. Sixteen days later, they were found burned 42 kilometers away. Security cameras documented everything: the beating, the unmarked truck, the camouflage uniforms. How did it go from a detention to an extrajudicial execution without anyone stopping it?In this episode, we reconstruct the investigation from the first recordings to the sentence that convicted soldiers for forced disappearance. We analyze the fatal contradictions between the official version of "peaceful release" and the forensic evidence that documents three executions with shots to the head and back. Five cooperating soldiers confessed to the group agreement to lie and pointed to the person responsible for burning the bodies. A judge was arrested for misconduct after releasing the main accused. What was the Ecuadorian state hiding under a state of emergency?Victims: Ismael Arroyo, Josué Arroyo, Nehemías Arroyo, Steven Arroyo Date: December 8, 2024 Location: Guayaquil, Ecuador (Las Malvinas neighborhood; discovery in Naranjal, Taura) Status: Convicted (December 22, 2025)- Ismael's call from a borrowed cell phone reported beatings and abandonment in Taura before disappearing - Security cameras captured a uniformed man hitting a minor in the head and throwing him into a white truck - Bodies found burned exactly where soldiers claimed to have released them "safe and sound" - Autopsy revealed at least three executions with shots to the head and back, in a kneeling position Ismael Arroyo, Josué Arroyo, Nehemías Arroyo, Steven Arroyo, Guayaquil, forced disappearance, soldiers, extrajudicial execution, forensic, investigation, justice, state crime, Spanish true crime If you want to listen to this podcast without ads and have access to premium episodes, we invite you to try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and associated materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, is prohibited without prior written authorization from OBOMEDIA. For permissions, licenses, and business inquiries, write to: [email protected] listen ad-free and access premium episodes, start your 14-day free trial at obomedia.comOBOMEDIA presents true crime storiesa true crime podcast built on real cases.Every true crime story in our crime files follows the crime investigation from the missing person report to the trial: investigators and police building a murder case, a police investigation gone cold, justice for the victim and those who survived.We open the unsolved murder, the cold case reopened decades later, the mysterious death, the disappearance, the serial killer, the family murder, the murder mystery; the missing persons  a missing woman, a missing girl, a missing man found dead and the missing and murdered.From the infamous case to the unsolved case, from classic true crime to dark true crime and disturbing true crime: true crime reports, real crime stories, real murder cases, true murder stories and unsolved mysteries one true crime case at a time, from the OBOMEDIA true crime vault.© 2026 Created with OBOMEDIA technology. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text and related materials) are the property of their respective creator and are distributed under the OBOMEDIA name on platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and Pocket Casts. Reproduction, distribution, editing or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission is prohibited. For permissions, licensing and business inquirie