Police in the Dominican Republic have arrested six people over the murder of a U.S. teacher who was found tied up, gagged, tortured and strangled to death.
Patricia Ann Anton, 63, was found dead inside her apartment in the town of Cabarete, on the north side of the island, last Tuesday.
Michael Marinez Rosario, Heuri Flores Hernandez, Junior Alexis Suarez, Juan Jose Andujar Mella, Oroniel Canario Montero and Alexis Maquey have all been arrested over her murder.
Investigators say they are still searching for a seventh suspect whose nickname is ‘El Venezolano’ or ‘The Venezuelan’.
Four of the six men who have already been arrested have prior criminal records that date back to 2017 and two of them are Haitian nationals.
Patricia Ann Anton, 63, a US citizen who had been living and working in the Dominican Republic for 15 years, has been found strangled to death
Michael Marinez Rosario, Heuri Flores Hernandez, Junior Alexis Suarez, Juan Jose Andujar Mella, Oroniel Canario Montero and Alexis Maquey were all arrested over the death of the American teacher
The arrests come three days after authorities said eight people had been taken into custody but it is unclear whether the six named men are included in that number.
Anton had moved into her new apartment on Saturday. Her car remained parked outside the building after her body was removed.
Investigators say she died as part of a burglary, because her phone, laptop and 40-inch plasma TV were missing and her clothing drawers and cupboards 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.
A neighbor from her previous apartment, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to Hoy, said Anton was recently in a heated argument with a German man over her school’s plans to purchase an empty lot for a new building.
Dominican newspaper Hoy reported Wednesday that the police detained eight people as part of its investigation into the murder of Patrica Ann Anton
Anton (left, at the school where she worked) was found bound, gagged, tortured and strangled to death inside her apartment in Cabarete on Tuesday in what police believe was a robbery
Police say burglars took Anton’s laptop, phone, and plasma TV but it appears they knew her because there was no sign of forced entry at her apartment
The German man reportedly attempted to stop the project, which Anton fully supported.
The neighbor also recalled Anton as a friendly and respectful person who would often share her own money with the less fortunate in her community.
The body has been sent for forensic analysis and an investigation has been opened, the Prosecutor’s Office added.
Anton was an English teacher working at 3 Mariposas Montessori school, which sits just outside of Cabarete, a town in the northern Atlantic coast province of Puerto Plata.
Mike Tangen recalled his first encounter with Anton after the teacher found out that he was into music.
‘I met this shining Star briefly near the beach and when she learned that I did music I was immediately enlisted to meet her kid,’ Tangen wrote on the school’s Facebook page.
‘What a wonderful person. Such a loss to all of humanity! My heart aches for all of Cabarete.’
A neighbor who spoke to Dominican newspaper Hoy said Patricia Ann Anton (pictured) was involved in a heated argument several weeks ago with a German man who opposed her school’s plan to buy a new building
Anton (left) was an American citizen born in Italy who spent her childhood travelling before settling in Michigan, where she had a family
Anton worked for a time as a legislative assistant before swapping careers to become a teacher, then volunteered in Guatemala before ending up in the Dominican Republic
Thomas Anton paid tribute to his sister-in-law, writing: ‘Patty Anton was one of the most caring people you could ever meet. She dedicated her life to helping children. Her death is a tragedy. I have resolved to use her memory as an inspiration to be of greater service to those around me. She was kind to everyone, always, without exception’
The school is part of an initiative to take improvised girls away from a life on the streets and give them skills to stop them being exploited.
Anton was born in Italy and spent time travelling with her family as a girl and young woman before settling in Michigan where she raised a family, according to the school’s website.
She has at least adult two children, who now live in Michigan and Illinois.
Thomas Anton paid tribute to his sister-in-law, writing: ‘Patty Anton was one of the most caring people you could ever meet. She dedicated her life to helping children. Her death is a tragedy.
‘I have resolved to use her memory as an inspiration to be of greater service to those around me. She was kind to everyone, always, without exception.’
She gained a degree from Central Michigan University before qualifying as a teacher for age groups 6-12 at the American Montessori Society.
The school promotes a teaching method that is led by the children and run at their own pace, with teachers acting as guides and assessors, according to its website.
Patricia Ann Anton (top left) spent 15 years teaching 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
It is based on the teaching methods used by an Italian teacher, Maria Montessori.
While in the states, Anton also served as a legislative aide at the Michigan State Capital, before leaving for Guatemala where she worked as a volunteer.
Her volunteer work eventually brought her to the Dominican Republic, where she became a teacher. She had been living in the country for 15 years.
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.