Argentina's Mileise: Member of presidential guard commits suicide over $1,380 debt
A 21-year-old grenadier serving as a security guard at the Olivos Presidential Residence, in the northern suburbs of Buenos Aires, was found dead early Tuesday morning in one of the guard posts within the residential perimeter.
According to the investigation, the leading hypothesis is that the soldier, Rodrigo Gómez, committed suicide with the FAL rifle assigned to him for guard duty.
Witnesses stated that he was deeply distressed by debts that he could not possibly repay on a soldier's salary.
Suicide rates in Argentina have been on the rise since 2021, as a sharp jump in inflation in 2022-24 - followed by a decline in purchasing power even as inflation slowed.
Real retail sales fell 4.1% in November, and 5.8% from November 2023 - the last full month before right-wing President Javier Milei's shock devaluation sent an already weak economy into a sharp recession.
While official data show that real wages have slipped just 2.5% since Milei took office, banking data reveal that personal debt has ballooned by 69% in real terms since then.
A study published in by the Greater Argentina Institute (IAG) show that the share of households who have had to rely on borrowing to finance basic necessities has jumped from 37% two years ago, to a whopping 61% today.
At: https://www-pagina12-com-ar.translate.goog/2025/12/16/el-soldado-muerto-en-la-quinta-de-olivos-estaba-angustiado-por-una-deuda-de-2-millones-de-pesos/?_x_tr_sl=es&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp