Original article: Rodrigo Rojas Vade en riesgo vital tras ser hallado inconsciente y maniatado en Melipilla

Rodrigo Rojas Vade in Critical Condition After Being Found Bound and Unconscious in Melipilla

In the early hours of Thursday morning, the former constitutional convention member, Rodrigo Rojas Vade, was discovered bound and unconscious, doused in flammable liquid along the roadside of a highway in the Melipilla commune, located in the Metropolitan Region.

According to the latest information, he is currently hospitalized in critical condition at San José Hospital in Melipilla, under induced coma. The former political activist, who gained prominence during the initial constitutional process and was working as a ride-share driver, sustained severe injuries, reportedly due to multiple blows, as reported by Bio Bío Chile.

Details indicate that the incident occurred on the highway’s shoulder, near kilometer 59 on Route 78, in the area separating Pomaire and Melipilla. Rojas Vade was found unconscious, with his body covered in gasoline, prompting immediate notification of the authorities, which initiated a procedure mobilizing specialized teams from the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Investigative Police (PDI).

Also at the scene was a blue Citroën C3 vehicle, which he was reportedly using.

Initial Investigations by the ECOH Prosecutor’s Office

The complexity of this case, along with the severity of the injuries, led to the involvement of the Organized Crime and Homicide Team (ECOH) of the Prosecutor’s Office.

“We were dispatched to Melipilla following reports of a bound individual found beside a highway. The victim remains hospitalized at San José Hospital in critical condition,” stated an ECOH representative.

Meanwhile, the Investigative Police initiated inquiries into the incident. In an initial assessment, Sub-commissioner Hassel Barrientos from the PDI Anti-Kidnapping BIPE explained the early findings at the scene.

“Following initial procedures conducted at the site, it has been established that this person was found next to his vehicle, bound with plastic ties, unconscious, and with head injuries,” he noted.

“Based on the evidence and objective data collected from the site thus far, there are no indications of gunfire or evidence regarding the use of firearms in this specific case. However, as I mentioned, various expert analyses are currently underway,” he elaborated.

Prosecutor Patricia Suazo, who is overseeing the case, arrived at the scene to oversee the forensic work and provided further details about the investigation’s progress.

“It is confirmed that he has sustained serious head injuries, and he is currently in critical condition, in an induced coma. We will work with ECOH at the scene,” the prosecutor declared.

Regarding the possible motives behind the attack, Prosecutor Suazo indicated that they currently have “numerous lines of investigation.”

“He was bound, with his hands tied and beaten, indicating the involvement of third parties. He had gone out to buy cigarettes in a nearby area before he was found,” she asserted, as reported by CNN Chile.

Rodrigo Rojas Vade, also known as ‘Pelao’ Vade, is remembered for his role during the social outburst and has remained out of the public eye since his controversial resignation from the Constitutional Convention in 2021, when he publicly admitted to lying about a cancer diagnosis during his electoral campaign. He revealed a debt of 27 million pesos with Scotiabank for “funding chemotherapy treatment,” which later proved to be false.

“I want to tell the truth because I can no longer sustain this. The illness I have is not cancer; it’s a diagnosis I could not acknowledge eight years ago due to societal stigma,” he confessed in September 2021, after which he decided not to return to the sessions of the constitutional body.

His confession sparked widespread outrage, as he had based his campaign on a false illness, raising significant funds through donations purportedly for his treatment. This situation even led to an investigation by the Public Prosecutor’s Office for potential perjury.

Despite the revelation occurring in September 2021, the former representative of District 13 formally resigned from his seat in the Convention on March 11, 2022, after the Congress approved a constitutional reform.

Subsequently, he was charged with residual fraud as the perpetrator and was ultimately sentenced to 61 days in minimum-security prison, under probation, along with a fine of 11 UTM.