Yuyun Lusiyani
Around 4 a.m. on September 21, 2020, a desolate stretch of highway along the southern coast of the Dominican Republic bore witness to a tragedy. By the time Luis David Saba arrived, police and paramedics had already departed, taking with them the mangled Jeep Grand Cherokee and the twisted remains of a motorcycle. The motorcycle’s two critically injured passengers were also gone, leaving behind only blood, debris, and a somber pile of branches—a customary, improvised shroud for a body abandoned by emergency services. Pushing aside the foliage, Saba discovered the lacerated body of his 20-year-old younger brother, Yohan Saba Mercado. In profound shock, his sole instinct was to remove his brother from the unforgiving asphalt. Hours passed under the rising sun as traffic resumed its flow, but the promised forensic investigators never appeared. Ultimately, with the help of friends, Saba loaded Yohan’s body into a van, taking it to their mother’s home.
A Community Grapples with Unspeakable Loss
That same morning, two other families endured similar horrors. Deby Beato Charles, 20, and Daniela Perez Garcia, 19, had been riding on the back of Yohan’s motorcycle when the Jeep rear-ended them with devastating force. Deby’s older brother, Ruben, arrived at a nearby hospital only to be handed his brother’s wallet and bracelet; Deb
Joko Widodo
Jia Lissa
Pevita Pearce
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