Authorities in the Dominican Republic have reported the discovery of the bodies of at least four decapitated women along the southern border with Haiti, in a rare and shocking incident that has heightened tensions in an already volatile frontier zone.
The grim find, first reported on February 2, 2026, was covered by The Washington Post, citing Dominican police sources.
Police spokesman Diego Pesqueira confirmed that the victims are Haitian nationals. The bodies were located along the southern section of the shared border, with only one recovered on Dominican territory—prompting local authorities to lead the investigation into that single case. Investigators believe the women were killed in Haiti and their bodies dumped into a river, which carried them downstream and deposited them where they were later discovered.
Some reports indicate that all four had been deported by the U.S. government from Puerto Rico to Haiti.
The case marks an unusual level of brutality in border-related violence, though the area has long seen sporadic clashes, migrant smuggling, and cross-border crime amid Haiti’s deepening humanitarian crisis and gang dominance. No suspects have been named publicly, and motives remain unclear at this stage. Dominican officials have not released further details on identities, exact locations beyond the southern border, or potential links to gangs or organized crime.
The incident occurs against a backdrop of strained Dominican-Haitian relations, including mass deportations from the Dominican Republic—over 251,000 Haitians repatriated in recent years—and ongoing concerns about violence targeting migrants.
Human rights groups have repeatedly criticized deportations to Haiti amid widespread killings, sexual violence, and instability there.
The Washington Post noted the discovery as “marking an unusual discovery” in the region, underscoring the severity of the crime. Dominican police continue their probe, with limited public updates available.
