Six arrested in murder of American teacher in Dominican Republic
Six men have been arrested in the Dominican Republic and a seventh is still sought in the murder of an American teacher last week.
Patricia Anton, a 63-year-old U.S. citizen, was found dead in her Puerto Plata apartment Tuesday with her hands and feet bound and her face covered with a piece of cloth after an apparent robbery. A preliminary autopsy said she died from strangulation asphyxiation.
Police say thieves stole Anton’s cell phone, laptop, TV and some cash.
American teacher, 63, found bound, gagged and strangled to death in Dominican Republic: police
The six men — Michael Mariñez Rosario, Heuri Flores Hernández, Junior Alexis Suarez, Juan José Andujar Mella, Oroniel Canario Montero and Alexis Maquey — have been arrested in connection with the murder and robbery, the National Police said in a statement Sunday.
The arrests come just days after police said they had detained eight suspects, but it’s unclear if the six men are included in that number.
Four of the six have criminal records, police said.
Another man, referred to as “The Venezuelan,” is still being sought.
Anton had moved to the Dominican Republic from Michigan six years and had been teaching at a private school, 3 Mariposas Montessori.
“She would light up a room upon entering it and be sure to make everyone smile and laugh with her wonderful sense of humor,” school founder Sarah Ludwig-Ross told the Daily News last week. “Patty was a mentor, a friend, a leader, and a counselor to many.”
