An episode of violence against women overshadowed the beginning of the year 2026 in Bogotá. During the New Year celebration, on January 1st, in the afternoon and in the town of Engativá, a man attacked his romantic partner with a knife. The victim was identified as Sandra Milena Castro Quiñónez, a 31-year-old woman, and the perpetrator as César Camilo Aldana Vargas, a 43-year-old judo instructorwho is finally in the hands of the authorities.
Attempted feminicide in Engativá
According to the authorities, the events occurred around 5:38 in the afternoon on January 1 in a residential complex in the Villas de Granada neighborhood, in the town of Engativá, where the couple lived with their two children. The apartment’s security camera records and family testimonies, since the attack occurred in front of the two minors, show that Aldana began hitting Castro with a firearm.
The details indicate that, in the middle of the confrontation, the man went to the kitchen, where he had a taser and knives stored. Aldana attacked her partner with a knife and stabbed him 55 times, leaving him seriously injured. Police sources indicate that the attack lasted about eight minutes.
Relatives of the victim have stated that César Camilo Aldana was always a very jealous man, which generated concern in those around Sandra Milena Castro. The fight, as detailed, occurred after the woman decided to end her relationship with the man. Aldana first tried to shoot Castro with a firearm, but it did not work, so he chose to attack her with the taser and the knife that he had kept in the kitchen.
The victim’s children asked for help
What has most outraged about the case is that the authorities confirmed that the attack took place in front of the couple’s children, aged 6 and 11. In the middle of the fight, the eldest son tried to struggle with his father to prevent the attack on his mother, but he was unable to do so.
Trying to help Sandra Castro, Her 11-year-old son decided to make an emergency video call to one of his aunts.showing him what was happening in his house. The family member saw her sister, unconscious and injured on the floor of the house, through her cell phone, immediately alerting the authorities.
Woman’s attacker in Engativá was captured
After attacking his partner, Aldana Vargas fled the site and, in addition, withdrew nearly 100 million pesos from Castro Quiñónez’s bank accountin addition to 12 million pesos that they had in the safe. He also took watches, the wedding ring and even the woman’s US visa from the house.
For several days, authorities were searching for the person responsible for the attack that left Sandra Milena Castro on the verge of death. However, the man finally surrendered voluntarily on January 7 near the Engativá URI, where the Police issued the arrest warrant. Now he will face charges of attempted femicide and domestic violence, both aggravated behaviors.
The authorities believe that César Camilo Aldana possibly planned the attack against his partner in advance, since he had changed the password to the safe and even had his luggage organized to flee after attacking his partner.
For her part, Sandra Milena Castro remains in an intensive care unit (ICU) with a reserved prognosis, fighting for her life with a perforated lung and a serious injury to her trachea. His relatives hope for justice and his speedy recovery.
MARÍA PAULA GONZÁLEZ
DIGITAL JOURNALIST
