http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/20/world/americas/honduras-beauty-queen-maria-jose-alvarado-dead.html 2014-11-19 17:40:15 Honduran Beauty Queen and Her Sister Are Found Dead The Honduran police said María José Alvarado and her older sister, Sofía, had been shot and buried on a riverbank. === MEXICO CITY — The missing Honduran beauty queen, María José Alvarado, and her older sister, Sofía, have been found dead, their bodies buried in the sand of a riverbank near where they disappeared, the police in The sisters had not been seen since last Thursday, after they attended a birthday party for Sofía Alvarado’s boyfriend, Plutarco Ruiz, at a resort near their home in western Honduras. He was arrested Tuesday, and the police told local news media that he is the leading suspect in their investigation. The search for the missing sisters has riveted Honduras, the small Central American country that has María José Alvarado, 19, was scheduled to leave for London on Wednesday to compete in the Miss World contest. She had worked as a hostess on a popular television variety show and was finishing a technical degree in computing. Her older sister, Sofía, 23, was a teacher and had been dating Mr. Ruiz for about three months, according to Ms. Muñoz. A second man, Aris Maldonado, was also arrested on Tuesday and police said they expected to make additional arrests. The director of the National Police, Gen. Ramón Sabillón, said during a news conference that Mr. Ruiz had shot Sofia during an argument after she danced with another man at the party. María José was shot twice in the back as she tried to flee, Gen. Sabillón said, according to The Associated Press. Leandro Osorio, the director of the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, told local news media that police found a gun they suspect was used in the shooting in Mr. Ruiz’s possession. His white Toyota pickup truck had been used to move the women’s bodies and then sent to a nearby garage to be painted, Mr. Osorio said.