Police investigating mysterious death of ex-Argentina World Cup star’s partner after she falls from seventh-floor flat

POLICE are probing the mystery death of former Argentine international Fernando Caceres’ partner at their home on the outskirts of Buenos Aires.

Mum-of-three Raquel Candia died on Monday afternoon after plunging from the seventh-floor flat where the couple had lived for just under a year.

Ex-Argentina international Fernado Caceres’ partner Raquel Candia died on MondayX

Caceres, right, played for Argentina at the 1994 World Cup where they reached the last-16AFP

Investigators say they believe the 45-year-old was alone in the apartment with Caceres, who was left in a wheelchair after being shot during an attempted robbery in 2009, when she went over the edge.

Prosecutors are awaiting the results of an autopsy due to be carried out on Raquel’s body at 7am local time on Tuesday before making an official statement on whether they think her death could be an accident, suicide or murder.

Raquel’s mum and two brothers spoke to journalists outside the apartment block in La Matanza on Monday night, with one of her siblings, Miguel, dramatically insisting: “My sister did not kill herself, she was killed.”

Carlos Arribas, a La Matanza-based homicide prosecutor, said on Monday that as part of their investigation the former footballer was likely to be questioned on Tuesday or later in the week.

He said: “We inspected the apartment and took all the evidence we considered relevant.

“Tomorrow [Tuesday] at 7am the autopsy will take place and depending on what comes out we will decide what to do next.

“We are not ruling out any hypothesis. It’s still too early. We are working at the scene and we will see what comes out of the autopsy.”

Raquel had three children from a former relationship with a man she was married to before she started dating Caceres, 54.

Caceres ended his 21-year professional career in 2007Alamy

Caceres’ life changed on November 1, 2009 when he was shot in the head as he tried to resist a violent car-jacking by a gang of youths in Ciudadela, on the outskirts of Buenos Aires.

He was critically injured and spent two months in hospital.

That was after warnings from doctors in the immediate aftermath that there was little chance he would survive.

In January 2021 he was rushed to hospital again and put in an induced coma for 48 hours following complications from the gunshot wound.

Asked in 2012 what he would do if he came face-to-face with his attackers, Caceres replied: “Nothing, I wouldn’t do anything to them.

“I could calmly shake hands with those who shot me. I don’t bear them a grudge. What happened, happened, nothing more. I don’t bear a grudge against anyone.”

Caceres played 24 times for Argentina between 1992 and 1997.

His club career included spells with River Plate, Zaragoza, Boca Juniors and Valencia.