Former beauty queen Landy Párraga Goyburo tragically gunned down in a restaurant, sparking speculation about motives and connections to a drug trafficking case.

A former beauty queen was gunned down in a restaurant after she was cryptically discussed by a drug trafficker before his murder in prison.

Horror CCTV footage shows how two gunmen burst into the eatery as Landy Párraga Goyburo and another man stood at a table.

As the first gunman runs towards them shooting, Párraga, 23, drops to the floor while the man next to her ducks for cover.

A bullet mark is visible on her right thigh.

The horror unfolded in Quevedo, Ecuador, on Sunday (28 Apr), as reported on Need to Know.

The police are working to discover the motive and identify those responsible.

Párraga was a former Miss Ecuador contestant, having represented Los Ríos Province in 2022.

She had more than a million followers across her social media accounts.

In December 2023, her name was mentioned in a chat made public by the Attorney General’s Office as part of a major organised crime case it is investigating.

One of the 52 people being prosecuted in the case is Helive Angulo.

In the chat, Angulo told the drug trafficker Leandro Norero, whose assets he managed, that the police had asked him about Párraga.

Norero cryptically wrote: “If my wife comes across anything about her, I’m screwed.

“My friend, her name cannot come out anywhere. Otherwise, my world will come crashing down.”

Norero was killed in prison in 2022, six months after his incarceration.

Money transfers made to Párraga’s bank account are under investigation by the Attorney General’s Office.

The office never prosecuted Párraga and she had never publicly commented on the case.

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Landy Milena Párraga Goyburo (February 26, 2001 – April 28, 2024) was an Ecuadorian model, influencer and beauty contestant, who placed fifth in the Miss Ecuador 2022 competition. 

A popular influencer, Párraga had her own line of sportswear and over a million followers on social media.

Early life

Landy Milena Párraga Goyburo was born on February 26, 2001 in the city of Quevedo. She studied Social Communication at the Universidad Técnica de Babahoyo (UTB) and lived in the Ecuadorian city of Santo Domingo.

Foray into beauty contests

Párraga's first title was queen of her parish. Later she became Vice Queen "Vicereina" of Quevedo. In 2019 she was named Miss Tourism of Quevedo. She was then named Queen of the Faculty of her university, Queen of the Special Forces Group #26 Cenepa, and then she rose to represent Ecuador at the Miss Mesoamerica Internacional 2022 contest in El Salvador.

She participated in the beauty contest of Miss Ecuador 2022, representing Los Ríos Province, where she was placed fifth in the contest.

In December 2023, Párraga's name was mentioned in communications related to the Caso Metástasis investigations into the drug cartel activities. She was linked romantically to the drug trafficker es:Leandro Norero, who had been killed in prison in October 2022.

Death

On April 28, 2024, Párraga was murdered while eating lunch in a restaurant. About 20 minutes earlier, she had published a photo on Instagram of her meal, revealing her location. Párraga was shot in the head and body, by a hitman who entered the restaurant and fled with an associate afterwards. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Her shooting was captured on the restaurant's CCTV.

Several theories abounded about the motivation for Párraga's killing, mostly due to her connection with Norero. Some speculated that Párraga's killing was ordered by his widow, or by Norero himself. The motive for the crime remains unknown.

Párraga was buried in her hometown of Quevedo on April 29, 2024, under the strongest security measures.