By Anna Starkey

The bodies of  Maria Jose Alvarado, otherwise known as Miss Honduras, and her sister were found buried in a field near the Aguagua River in  Cablotales, Honduras six days after their disappearance on November 13, 2014.

Maria Jose Alvarado’s sister’s alleged boyfriend, Plutarco Rico, confessed to shooting both Alvarado sisters’ then burying their bodies.  Rico’s friend, Aris Maldonado, assisted Rico in the double homicide after leaving a party the night of the disappearance.  Police have arrested Rico and Maldonado for the murders.

Maria Jose Alvarado was crowned Miss Honduras in April of 2014.  Alvarado was already set to compete in the Miss Universe Pageant in London in December.  As well as being a beauty queen, Alvarado was a student that held dreams of becoming a diplomat.

Although the United Nations classifies Honduras as the country with the highest homicide rate,  the deaths of the Alvarado sisters have come as a shock to many.  Along with having the highest homicide rate, Honduras has also been called upon by the United Nations to do more to protect women.  Between 2005 and 2013, there was an increase of 263.4% in the number of violent deaths of women in the country.  The murder of Miss Honduras has now brought the alarming statistics to the attention of the Honduran government as well as the rest of the world.