Costa Rica’s femicide count has reached 10 so far in 2026, keeping violence against women at the center of the country’s security concerns even as authorities battle organized crime, drug trafficking and record levels of violent crime more broadly. Judicial Branch data cited in recent reporting show the figure is lower than the 16 cases recorded at the same point in 2025, but the pace remains alarming in a country where every new case quickly becomes a national issue.
The latest case, the killing of 29-year-old Junieysis Adely Merlo Espinoza, has sharpened that sense of urgency. Investigators said her body was found buried in a pit in Salitral de Santa Ana after she had been missing for nine days, and judicial officials confirmed she died by asphyxiation. Her death pushed the national total into double digits and again put the focus on how women remain exposed to lethal violence inside spaces that should be safe, including homes, relationships and familiar communities.
The broader numbers help explain why the issue continues to dominate public concern. Prosecutors warned in March that crimes against women remain one of our country’s most persistent security problems, noting that Costa Rica processed 53,697 domestic violence cases in 2025 and more than 41,000 protection measures that same year. The same report described violence against women as the third most frequent category of crime handled by authorities, a sign that the problem is not isolated to a handful of headline-grabbing murders but is tied to a much wider pattern of abuse, threats and coercion.
Official statistics also show the damage extends far beyond the women killed. In the first 10 femicides recorded this year, the victims ranged in age from 24 to 79. At least eight were mothers, leaving behind 17 children, including 12 minors. By the end of 2025, Costa Rica had closed the year with 33 femicides out of 64 violent killings of women, leaving 57 children without their mothers, 39 of them minors. Those figures have reinforced the view that femicide is not only a criminal justice issue but a social crisis that leaves lasting trauma across entire families.
Under Costa Rican law, femicide is the most extreme form of gender-based violence against women and carries prison terms of 20 to 35 years. The Judicial Branch says the classification is made through a formal review process involving specialized institutions, which is one reason totals can shift as cases are analyzed. Still, the overall pattern has been clear enough to keep pressure on the state to strengthen prevention, speed up investigations and improve protection for women who report abuse before violence escalates.
Support services remain available, though officials have repeatedly urged women to seek help earlier. INAMU says women facing violence can call 9-1-1 at any hour, contact the free 1125 line, send a message to WhatsApp 8321-8678, or seek help through regional offices and the country’s 32 Puntos Violeta. As the 2026 total continues to climb, the challenge for Costa Rica is no longer only reacting to each case after it happens but confronting a pattern of violence that has become impossible to separate from the national security conversation.
