The death of María Lorena Argüello, a semifinalist in Ecuador’s Miss Universe pageant last year, was confirmed by the nation’s pageant committee on Sunday.
No further details were provided.
‘We stand with respect and solidarity with her family and loved ones in this time of grief,’ the Concurso Nacional de Belleza said in a statement on Instagram.
‘Her memory will always be with us.’
Argüello represented Ecuador’s capital city of Quito in the 2024 contest, her first-ever pageant.
She obtained a medical surgeon degree from the University of Las Americas on June 30, 2024, three weeks before she came up short in the pageant.
Argüello’s unexpected death stunned her friend María Topic, who went on to be crowned Miss Universe Ecuador.
‘Today heaven gained a beautiful soul,’ Topic wrote on social media. ‘My heart mourns your passing, but I trust that God holds you in his arms.
And…'suddenly'😪💔
— cheri maday (@resilient333) June 3, 2025
*María Lorena Argüello-28-Ecuador
*Beloved Beauty Queen: Ecuador's Miss Universe pageant 2024 Semifinalist
*Completed Medical Surgeon Degree on June 30, 2024, 3 weeks before the pageant…
*June 1, 2025
*Tragically, Maria died suddenly and unexpectedly.… pic.twitter.com/4RT3hQwjyN