Remains of Lily Pereg and Pirhya Sarussi discovered near Mendoza, with Sarussi’s son arrested on homicide charges

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

The remains of an Australian university professor and her sister have been discovered in a shallow grave near the city of Mendoza, Argentinian authorities say.

Autopsy results released Sunday showed that at least one of the two had been shot.

The bodies of 54-year-old Australian scientist Lily Pereg and her 63-year-old sister Pirhya Sarussi of Israel were found Saturday on a lot beside the home of Sarussi’s son Gilad Pereg, according to prosecutor Claudia Rios, who confirmed the 36-year-old had been arrested on homicide charges.

Australian Associated Press reported he had been charged with murder.

The local newspaper Jornada said authorities hadn’t yet determined which of the bodies belonged to which of the victims, but it said one had received three gunshots and the other showed signs of being dragged.

The two sisters reportedly went to Mendoza to visit Pereg, who had lived in Argentina for more than 10 years.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Gilad Pereg is arrested on homicide charges near the city of Mendoza, Argentina. Photograph: Patricio Caneo/AP

The two women vanished about two weeks ago, and colleagues of Lily Pereg opened a GoFundMe page to raise money for a search.

Relative Vered Sarusi had been pleading with the public for information on Facebook since the sisters were last heard from on 11 January.

Following confirmation of the women’s deaths, the family updated the fundraising page thanking the supporters.

“We at the family are … humbled by the outpouring of support and love, worldwide. Your love carried us and will help us recover from a huge tragedy. There will never be an explanation. We are extremely thankful to the Mendoza police force who treated us with respect and dignity; the Interpol, the Australian police and Israeli police and the foreign offices for extending all support possible and sharing with the families whatever info is available.

“We will bring the sisters home for the last time, and will let you know when and where.”

Pereg had lived in Armidale for 18 years. Friends and family on Facebook described her as kind, and highly regarded in her field.

Lily Pereg was a microbial ecologist with 25 years’ research experience in plant and soil microbiology. She chaired the soil, microbiology and biodiversity subdivision of the European Geosciences Union.

Pereg obtained a PhD from the University of Sydney in 1998 and gained postdoctoral experience from the Institute for Genetics at the University of Cologne in Germany before joining UNE in 2001.

The University of New England said she was acknowledged internationally as a “leading scholar” in her field, with international standing, and was held in “high esteem by her colleagues and students as a committed and dedicated academic”.

UNE said the community was “shocked and saddened” by the news.

“Our heartfelt condolences go out to the sisters’ family, friends, colleagues and students,” it said.

“We wish to thank all those who have expressed their concern and support for Professor Pereg over the past two weeks and express our sincerest condolences to the family and friends of Professor Pereg and her sister.”

Argentinian newspaper La Nación reported that Gilad Pereg, a software engineer who also goes by the name Nicolás Gil Pereg, lived an almost destitute existence in a semi-abandoned property in the Guaymallén area, and had 40 registered firearms.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Police work in the lot next to the home of Gilad Pereg where the bodies of his mother and aunt were found on Saturday. Photograph: Gustavo Roge/AP

According to the report, his house had no furniture and he subsisted on dietary supplements. Numerous cats were found on the property, including some that were dead.

During the two weeks his mother and aunt were missing, Gilad Pereg told the media the area where he lived was unsafe, that crime was “the order of the day” in Mendoza, and that he had been the victim of more than 50 robberies, the newspaper said.

He maintained that “something bad” had happened to his relatives by “bad people” when they went to the bus stop, and that they had been kidnapped.

Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs has been contacted for comment.

Associated Press and Australian Associated Press contributed to this report