Rio Negro provincial authorities were disclosed today to have opened an investigation into reports that a woman whose body was found in a mountain cave a year ago was an Israeli agent seeking to track down Dr. Josef Mengele, the “selection doctor” at the Auschwitz murder camp, who is sought as a top Nazi war criminal.
The newspaper La Razon declared–yesterday that the victim–tentatively identified as Nora Eldoc, a 48-year-old Israeli–had come to Argentina in an effort to find Mengele, whose extradition has been sought by the West German Government.
La Razon reported that the woman appeared at a luxury hotel in San Carlos de Bariloche, an Argentine mountain resort, and accepted an invitation from a male guest to go on an excursion. The male guest returned alone from the hike, saying his companion had gotten lost. The guest, whose name was not disclosed, then disappeared.
A few days later, the woman’s body was found in the area. According to La Razon, the victim’s credentials identified her as a secretary of an unnamed Embassy in West Germany. The newspaper said her papers included a document signed by President Frondizi authorizing her to travel anywhere in Argentina. The Presidential press service issued a denial today that any such pass had been issued.
La Razon reported it was believed the woman was killed by a secret Nazi group “formed to protect Nazi war criminals hiding in Argentina.” The newspaper also reported that the victim had been in a Nazi concentration camp at one time, and that she came to Argentina on a West German passport. Both the West German and Israel Embassies here refused to comment today on the case.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
