One teen's killing has shaken a nation, fuelling demands for justice

The brutal killing of Agostina Vega has sparked massive protests in the capital Buenos Aires. (AP: Natacha Pisarenko)

When Argentinian teenager Agostina Vega left her grandfather's empanada factory and hailed a nearby taxi, it would be the last time her family members saw her alive.

Warning: This article includes graphic content that may upset some readers.

The 14-year-old told the driver she wanted to go to a friend's house to collect a gift to surprise her mother.

An investigation has been launched into Agostina's final movements in the hours that led to her death. (Supplied: Sistema Federal de Busqueda de Personas Desaparecidas y Extraviadas)

Agostina appeared to have been sexually assaulted, hanged and her dismembered body was dumped in a field, according to local media reports and the preliminary findings of an autopsy.

Less than a fortnight later, a public plaza opposite the Argentinian Congress in the capital Buenos Aires erupted in a sea of protesters brandishing purple and pink signs.

Agostina's death has reignited a national flashpoint over violence against women and acts of femicide in Argentina.

Agostina's remains were discovered on Saturday. Officials have since attempted to piece together the teen's movements in the hours that led to her death, according to one of Argentina's largest newspapers La Nación.

A preliminary judicial reconstruction of those hours has shown she took the taxi to the Cofico neighbourhood in the city of Cordoba — the country's second-largest — on May 23 and arrived about 11pm, the outlet reported.

Investigators say CCTV shows she entered a home with a man and stayed there until her alleged murder, between 1am and 2am the following day.

Miguel Heredia, Agostina's grandfather, took part in a protest rally in the Argentinian city of Cordoba. (AP: Nicolas Aguilera)

Less than 24 hours after her disappearance, Agostina's taxi driver reported he had taken her to the house of Claudio Barrelier, 33, who is an ex-boyfriend of the teen's mother.

The driver told reporters this week Mr Barrelier, wearing a black hooded jacket, had been waiting for Agostina when they arrived and paid for her journey, but did not have the correct amount of money for the fare, BBC News Mundo reported.

Mr Barrelier remains in police custody as the main suspect charged with her murder. He denies killing Agostina.

Investigators say his criminal history shows he had been arrested for abducting a young woman in 2025, but was released on bail of $US3,500 ($4,907) after 20 days.

Agostina's family filed a missing person's report the morning