Brigitte García

Brigitte García (27 January 1997 – 24 March 2024) was an Ecuadorian politician, nurse, and social worker who served as mayor of San Vicente from 2023 until her death in March 2024. At the time of her death, she was the youngest mayor in Ecuador at just 27 years old. 

She was also a member of the left-wing Citizen Revolution Party.

On 24 March 2024, García was shot and killed, along with an aide.

Biography

At the age of 15, García worked for a health services company. She ran for mayor of San Vincente at the age of 26 in October 2023, when she was elected with 4,943 votes (37.48%) in a field of 8 candidates.

García focused on improving the quality of drinking water, installing sewers, and boosting local tourism through beaches. She also indicated that she planned to develop agriculture and the fishing industry in the region.

Assassination

On 24 March 2024, García was shot dead alongside her director of communications, Jairo Loor Meza, in a vehicle; she was 27. According to a police report, the murder occurred after midnight and the body was found at 1:00 a.m. after her family raised concerns as to her whereabouts.

Local media indicate that previously there had been no indications of threats and that the mayor did not have any police protection.