The kidnapping and murder of Litzy Amelia Cordon Saveda 20-year-old university student, was registered in Teculután, Zacapa, in October 2020. More than five years later, the case continues to be surrounded by violence, investigations into criminal structures and several deaths that occurred in the close environment of the main accused.
The criminal process against Kevin Manolo Rivas Cordón, the victim’s cousin, is in its final phase in the High Risk Court B, where the Public Ministry (MP) accuses him of plagiarism or kidnapping and murder.
During the trial, Rivas recounted the violent events that affected his relatives during 2021 and 2023. According to the MP, these deaths are linked to an organized crime structure that operates in Zacapa.
Litzy’s kidnapping
Litzy Amelia Cordón Guardado studied Social Work at the Rafael Landívar University. On the morning of Monday, October 5, 2020, he left a home in the Barranca Seca hamlet, Teculután, and headed towards a house under construction in the La Colina hamlet, Vega del Cobán village, where he used to water plants.
That was the last day they saw her alive. Hours later, relatives began to receive calls demanding Q5 million for his release.
The family reported the kidnapping, but the local authorities activated an Isabel Claudina alert.
According to the investigation, the kidnappers threatened to kill Litzy if they did not hand over the money.
The young woman’s motorcycle was located that same night in the Las Vegas subdivision, Vega del Cobán village.
On October 6, 2020, around 6:30 a.m., Litzy’s body was located in the Los Pasitos hamlet, in Los Puentes, Teculután.
The opinion of the National Institute of Forensic Sciences established that the victim presented blows, signs of having been restrained by force and sexual abuse. The cause of death was asphyxiation due to strangulation. According to the MP, the marks on her neck were not caused by a rope, it was a person who grabbed her by the neck and suffocated her.
The main accused
On December 10, 2020 Kevin Manolo Rivas Cordón was captured during raids carried out by the Prosecutor’s Office against the Crime of Femicide and the National Civil Police.
The MP maintains that Kevin participated in the kidnapping and murder of Litzy. On January 4, 2021, he was linked to criminal proceedings for plagiarism or kidnapping and murder.
Five years later, on January 15, 2026, the trial against him began. During the debate, the Prosecutor’s Office stated that the crime was planned and executed by several people.
Kevin’s statement
On May 13, 2026, Kevin Rivas Cordón testified before the High Risk Court B and denied having participated in the crime.
In his testimony, he pointed out his cousin Andy Cordón as supposedly responsible for the kidnapping and murder of Litzy.
According to his version, Andy confessed that he had participated in the crime and that they used Kevin’s phone to place the chip in Litzy’s cell phone.
“I’m going to be honest with you, the phone that you left in the car was the one we used to extract Litzy’s chip and put it in your phone,” Kevin declared before the judges.
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That same day he also declared in court that, after the crime, several members of his family environment were murdered.
“As I also regret that due to this fact, my family was also destroyed. My brother Cristian Emanuel Rivas Cordón, my father Oscar Rubén Rivas Zanabria, my first cousin Gustavo Adolfo Cordón García were murdered on June 12, 2021,” he declared.
The massacre on the farm
June 12, 2021 five men were murdered on the El Contrereño farm, in the Vega del Cobán village, Teculután.
Among the victims were Oscar Rubén Rivas Zanabria, Kevin’s father; Cristian Emanuel Rivas Cordón, brother of the accused; and Gustavo Adolfo Cordón García, cousin of the accused. In addition, two estate guards died in the armed confrontation.
At that time, the authorities hypothesized a settling of accounts. According to investigations by the MP and the PNC, the deaths would be linked to an organized crime structure that operates in Zacapa.
According to a source related to the case, Kevin’s relatives allegedly worked for an alleged drug trafficker in the region.
The investigations indicate that the massacre would have been a consequence of disputes within that criminal organization.
Andy Cordón and another violent death
Andy Cordón, mentioned by Kevin as an alleged participant in Litzy’s crime, also died violently.
According to a report from the Volunteer Firefighters, he was murdered on January 14, 2023.
Investigators link him to the same criminal structure identified in the investigations into the death of relatives and friends of Kevin Rivas.
The authorities are investigating whether this organization would be related to the disappearance and death of other women in Zacapa.
Justice pending
As the trial moves towards the conclusion stage that will take place on May 27, Litzy’s family insists that the case not go unpunished.
Edgar Cordón, the victim’s father, recalled during an interview that he still has the motorcycle that his daughter used on the day of her kidnapping.
