On July 23, a group of children in the town of Ingeniero Budge, Buenos Aires Province, made a horrific discovery—the red suitcase they found by a stream contained dismembered body parts.
The gruesome find set off an investigation that ended with the identification of the victim as 41-year-old Fernando Pérez Algaba, a millionaire entrepreneur whose life was full of rags-to-riches stories and yet marred by debt and trouble.
When police arrived on the scene, they found two legs and one forearm in the suitcase and another arm in the stream.
Three days later, authorities located Algaba’s missing head and torso.
An autopsy revealed he had been shot three times before being dismembered cleanly—suggesting professional work—and identified by his fingerprints as well as distinctive tattoos on his body parts.
Fernando Pérez Algaba had come from humble beginnings; friends knew him as “Lechuga” (lettuce) due to his meager teenage business venture of selling sandwiches from a bicycle and box.
But dedication paid off for Algaba, who at 24 years old had amassed a warehouse full of luxury cars, motorcycles and jet skis to repair or resell.
He eventually moved to Barcelona where he rented apartments while running Motors Lettuce SRL, trading cryptocurrency from an office in Buenos Aires with over 25 employees.
His success was heavily advertised to his 900 thousand followers on Instagram – but all was not what it seemed.
The businessman had accumulated “irrecoverable debts” with Argentina’s tax agency while Moters Lettuce began bouncing checks shortly after its 2018 incorporation.
Additionally he left behind a note claiming losses investing in crypto currency.
Furthermore there were fears that Algaba may have been involved with Barra Bravas – violent gangs associated with Argentinean soccer – after they demanded repayment for $40K loaned out to him previously.
This prompted warnings such as “if something happens to me… everyone is already warned” which were written hastily onto his phone prior to disappearance last Tuesday July 19th – ultimately leading up to a murder charge brought against one suspect upon arrest this week.
Algaba’s brother Rodolfo insists that despite accusations, his brother was not involved in any crime nor scamming people/businesses; rather he suffered anxiety disorder and was under psychiatric treatment – though no clear motive has emerged yet for why anyone would want him dead besides money issues/debts.
