The most tragic chapter of the surveillance scandal occurred on the evening of June 9, 2023. Lieutenant Colonel Óscar Dávila, a veteran security official assigned to coordinate protection details for the presidency, was found dead inside his official vehicle in Bogotá's Teusaquillo neighborhood.
Dávila had written an open letter to the Attorney General's Office days earlier, expressing his full availability to testify regarding the security protocols applied to Sarabia’s former employee. His sudden death instantly triggered extreme political speculation. Opposition leaders questioned whether foul play occurred to silence a key witness with intimate knowledge of executive security directives.
The National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences conducted an exhaustive autopsy alongside ballistic and chemical analyses. Forensic director Jorge Paredes presented the conclusive findings in a nationally televised briefing:
- Gunpowder residue was located exclusively on Dávila’s right hand and jacket sleeve.
- The trajectory of the single gunshot wound to the cranial vault matched a self-inflicted contact shot.
- No traces of defensive wounds, physical struggle, or third-party DNA were discovered inside the vehicle.
The Attorney General's Office closed the inquiry into third-party homicide, ruling Dávila's death an unambiguous suicide driven by intense administrative stress. The forensic clarity dismantled conspiracy theories alleging a state-sponsored hit squad, grounding the tragedy within the severe legal jeopardy closing in around Dávila's command unit.
