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.
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