CARACAS (Reuters) – A Venezuelan writer, poet, and essayist who confessed on Instagram to statutory rape was found dead on Thursday after falling nine stories in Argentina’s capital Buenos Aires, where he had been living, according to local media.
Two days ago, a woman in Venezuela had come forward on social media saying the 40-year-old writer, Willy McKey, had requested nude photos of her in exchange for publishing her work.
On Wednesday, another woman known only as “Pia” said on Twitter that McKey had had sexual relations with her in 2015, when she was 16 years old and he was 35. Others responded allegeding other misconduct.
Following the accusations on Twitter, McKey erased his Instagram profile, replacing all posts with three acknowledging the accusations, confirming the statutory rape and asking for forgiveness.
“Don’t be this. It grows inside and kills you. Sorry,” McKey wrote on Twitter on Thursday, hours before police found his body. McKey had fallen from a friend’s house, according to local media reports.
Police are investigating his death, media reported. Buenos Aires police did not answer multiple calls for comment.
The allegations against McKey followed several days of similar accusations against others in Venezuela’s art scene, including Alejandro Sojo of the band Los Colores and Tony Maestracci of the band Tomates Fritos.
Authorities have opened an investigation into the three men for sexual violence and sexual abuse of minors, Venezuela’s top prosecutor Tarek William Saab wrote on Twitter on Wednesday night.
Maestracci denied the accusations on Instagram, while Sojo released a statement last week expressing regret for his actions.
“Violence, harassment and abuse of power against women will be prosecuted with the full weight of the law because we are protecting human rights,” Saab said on Thursday in a live appearance on state TV.
The attorney general’s office would review Venezuela’s sexual abuse legislation “to correct any gaps that may exist”, Saab added, providing a tip line and email for people to report abuse.
(Reporting by Sarah Kinosian; Editing by Karishma Singh)
