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 came 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 lived in the Dominican Republic's Puerto Plata province for 15 years. She had been working at the local 3 Mariposas Montessori school for six years.

She had recently moved into the apartment where she was found dead last week.

Investigators say she likely died as part of a burglary because her phone, laptop, 40-inch plasma TV and $80 in cash were missing.

Her clothing drawers and cupboards had also been searched, according to authorities.

Her body was found tied up on her bed with a rag stuffed into her mouth, according to authorities.

Police have given no indication if Anton knew the suspects or was connected to them in anyway.

They did say the suspects traveled to the area 'with the aim of committing crimes of such nature'.

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

A neighbor from her previous apartment, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to Hoy, said Anton had recently been in a heated argument with a German man over her school's plans to purchase an empty lot for a new building.

The German man had reportedly been trying to stop the project.

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.

Another person who knew Anton, Mike Tangen, recalled his first encounter with the American teacher after she 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.'

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 left behind her husband and three adult children - two sons aged 35 and 31 and a 28-year-old daughter - who 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'

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

Her husband would travel frequently for work but would spend weekends with her in the Dominican Republic.

Anton's brother-in-law Thomas Anton paid tribute to her in a Facebook post, 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.

While in the U.S., 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.

The school where she taught 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.

It promotes a teaching method that is led by the children and run at their own pace, with teachers acting as guides and assessors. It is based on the teaching methods used by an Italian teacher, Maria Montessori.