American teacher, 63, found bound, gagged, tortured, and strangled to death in Dominican Republic

An American teacher has been found bound, gagged, tortured and strangled to death in the Dominican Republic. 

The remains of Patricia Ann Anton, 63, were found inside her apartment in the town of Cabarete, on the north side of the island, on Tuesday. 

Investigators say it appears she died as part of a robbery, because her phone, laptop and 40-inch plasma TV were missing and her drawers had been searched.

However, police said they had found no evidence of a break-in, meaning Anton likely knew her killers.

Her remains were found tied up on her bed with a rag stuffed into her mouth, investigators said.

The body has been sent for forensic analysis and an investigation has been opened, the Prosecutor’s Office said.

Police say it appears Anton, who was a US citizen who had been living in the country for 15 years, was killed as part of a burglary because a number of valuables were stolen

Anton was an American citizen born in Italy who had been living in the Dominican Republic for 15 years, according to local reports.

She worked as an English language teacher in a school close to Cabarete, a beach town around 95 miles north of the capital Santo Domingo.  

Investigators are working to identify suspects and no arrests have been reported. 

According to the research from the Observatory of Citizen Security, in the first three months of 2019, 240 homicides were registered in the Dominican Republic. 

Her body was found in her apartment Tuesday in the town of Cabarete, in the north of the Dominican Republic, on Tuesday. A murder investigation has been launched