Bolivia 'Rapist' Buried Alive: Murder Charges

A suspected rapist and murderer has been buried alive in the grave of his alleged victim by enraged villagers, according to reports.

Santos Ramos, 17, had been identified by Bolivian police as a possible culprit in the death of 35-year-old Leandra Arias Janco.

More than 200 residents took the law into their own hands, reportedly seizing the teenager during the woman's funeral earlier this week and burying him alongside his victim.

The villagers in Colquechaca, in the Potosi district of Bolivia's southern highlands, then blocked a road to prevent police and prosecutors from reaching the area, according to an official.

A witness who would not be named said Ramos was tied up before being thrown into the open grave, which was then filled with earth.

Police have charged a man and woman suspected of leading the mob with murder.

Lynchings sometimes occur in rural and poor parts of Bolivia in the absence of a heavy police presence.