Ecuador’s youngest mayor, 27-year-old Brigitte García, was discovered shot dead on Sunday morning, as confirmed by the country’s national police.

In a statement released through official channels, the police revealed that García, who served as the mayor of San Vicente, a small coastal city, was found inside what is believed to be a rented vehicle, alongside her communications director, Jairo Loor, who also succumbed to a gunshot wound. Initial inquiries suggest that the shots were fired from within the car, the police disclosed.

Further investigations into the incident are currently underway, the police confirmed. In a subsequent statement on Sunday, the Ecuadorian Ministry of Government labeled the occurrence as a “criminal action” and made reference to a national “fight against terrorism, organized crime, and political corruption,” though no specific individual or group has been accused in connection with the killings.

“We express our solidarity with their families and reiterate our determination to utilize all state resources to ensure these crimes do not go unpunished,” the ministry asserted.

García held the distinction of being the youngest mayor in the country, as per her official profile on record. Former Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa took to social media to convey his shock, stating, “My God! Brigitte! She was the youngest mayor in the country,” accompanying his message with a photograph depicting him embracing García.

A memorial service for García is slated for Monday afternoon, as announced by the San Vicente municipality, with her interment scheduled for Tuesday.

Ecuador has been contending with a surge in violence instigated by armed gangs.

In January, Ecuador declared a state of emergency following the escape of notorious gang leader José Adolfo Macas, alias ‘Fito’, from a prison in Guayaquil. The subsequent day, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa proclaimed an “internal armed conflict” within the nation and authorized the armed forces to conduct “military operations to neutralize” the violence prevalent across the country. Within less than two weeks of the decree, over 2,000 individuals were apprehended, as per the president’s office.

García secured her position last year as a member of the left-wing Citizen Revolution Party, which shares alignment with Correa, the former president.

According to her social media updates, she had been actively engaged in recent weeks in initiatives aimed at providing clean drinking water to San Vicente, including meetings with the country’s development bank regarding the project.