Femicide

A deported man was arrested after his wife was killed at a motel in an incident involving accusations of infidelity and a financial dispute over approximately 260,000 lempiras (about $10,400).

Official data from the Security Ministry shows 4,542 women were killed violently between 2014 and April 2026—roughly one per day—with intimate-partner violence, personal feuds, and organized crime among the primary causes.

Honduras police arrested more than 183 people in early 2026 on domestic violence reports, with authorities warning that untreated patterns of repetitive abuse can escalate to homicide or femicide.

Daniel Antonio Meraz, accused of strangling his partner, nurse Elvia Mercedes Gómez López, on June 3 in San Manuel, surrendered to police in Villanueva on June 9 after days in hiding.

A woman was found strangled by her partner in Cauquira, Gracias a Dios; residents pursued and beat the suspect, identified as Alexis Fuentes, after discovering the body on Sunday morning.

Messages between the man accused of killing nurse Elvia Mercedes Gómez López on June 3 in San Manuel, Cortés, and his father have surfaced, with the father reportedly providing the WhatsApp screenshots to local media.

A 14-year-old girl, Estefany Lizeth Carvajal, was killed by her stepfather in Sursular, Olancho, after he learned she had a boyfriend; the man was arrested after attempting to take his own life and is now in custody pending trial.

The father of Daniel Antonio Meras, accused of killing his wife, nurse Elvia Gómez, in San Manuel, Villanueva, said his son promised to turn himself in to authorities and face justice for the killing.

Reina Margarita Carrasco, a 46-year-old founder of the Bastión del Sur citizen watchdog group and Libre party activist, was killed on January 22, 2026, two days after protesting at Congress over the disputed 2025 election; her murder remains unsolved.

Rights groups have recorded 108 femicides in Honduras through late May 2026, with activists noting more mutilated victims and a 95% impunity rate that leaves killers largely unpunished.

Honduras's Supreme Court has submitted its legal opinion to Congress on proposed reforms to three Penal Code articles governing femicide, including a proposal to create specialized judicial bodies to handle such cases.