A journalist who had denounced cases of police brutality in the province of Corrientes, in northern Argentina, was found hanged in her home, sources close to the police said yesterday, according to which it was a homicide.

The body of Griselda Blanco, 45, was found by her brother on Saturday at her home in Kurusu Cuatia, 600 kilometers north of the capital Buenos Aires. The case of suicide was quickly ruled out; the journalist’s ex-partner, who is suspected of murdering her, was arrested, according to the same sources.

The victim had signs of beatings, hair was found on her hands – which suggests that she tried to defend herself – while there was no sign of a break-in at the property, always according to these sources.

The journalist’s family, however, doubts the guilt of her ex-partner, Armando Jara, also a journalist. “I don’t believe it’s a femicide (…) In my opinion, Hara had nothing to do with the case, although we have to wait for the results of the expert investigation,” commented Lautaro Sessani, the victim’s son with another his partner.

According to Mr. Sessani, Griselda Blanco had received threats after she published articles on her personal news website about cases of police brutality in Corrientes province and negligence at a local hospital.

The prosecutor’s office relieved the local police of the investigation, entrusting it to the Argentine federal police.

The Federation of Press Workers of Argentina (FATPREN) expressed in a statement its “deep concern” about the case, underlining that “the colleague had denounced bad medical practices in a local hospital and abuse of political and police power.”