Honduras beauty queen Alvarado shot dead by sister's jealous boyfriend

Santa Barbara, Honduras: After missing for six days, the body of Miss Honduras Maria Jose Alvarado, along with her sister's, was found near a river. She was fatally shot as she tried to escape her sister's jealous boyfriend, police said on Wednesday, hours after the siblings were found dead beside a river.

Maria Jose Alvarado, 19, who had been due to fly to London to compete in the Miss World beauty pageant, disappeared with her sister Sofia Trinidad Alvarado six days ago after a party, sparking an exhaustive search.

La Prensa newspaper reported that police were investigating whether Trinidad's boyfriend, Plutarco Ruiz, shot Sofia Trinidad in the head after he became jealous when he saw her dancing with another man. He then reportedly shot her beauty-queen sister twice in the back as she tried to flee. Chief detective Leandro Osorio said the bodies of Maria Jose and her 23-year-old sister had been found buried along the banks of the Aguagual River in the town of Arada, in violence-plagued Honduras's northwest.

"We are 100 percent sure that it's them," Osorio said. Police arrested Ruiz and his alleged accomplice on Tuesday, seizing a Colt-45 pistol and two vehicles.

Security Minister Arturo Corrales said there was "no doubt" that Ruiz was behind the crime and that he had been helped by another man, Aris Maldonado Mejia. "We think that Plutarco led the crime, materially and intellectually," Corrales said.

Police are investigating additional suspects who they believe tried to help cover up the shooting, including by cleaning and repainting a pick-up used in the crime.