Santiago, Chile – Television presenter Francisco Kaminski has broken his silence regarding his relationship with José Felipe Reyes Ossa, infamously known as the “King of Meiggs,” who was recently the victim of a kidnapping and murder. In an interview with Mega’s Only Fama program, Kaminski detailed his financial ties and communications with Reyes in the days leading up to his disappearance on February 22, 2024.

Kaminski revealed he owed Reyes 45 million Chilean pesos (approximately $53,000 USD as of February 29, 2024) and that the debt is now the responsibility of Reyes’ widow, identified as Maria Elena González. The debt stemmed from a failed business venture approximately ten years ago, where Kaminski and Reyes jointly invested 59 million pesos. Kaminski stated he agreed to take responsibility for Reyes’ capital contribution.

“We with José Felipe Reyes, with Felipe that I told him, we met 10 years ago when I had a producer and did programs for the cable and different things,” Kaminski explained. “We lost 59 million pesos in that business. And I the agreement I had with José felipe was to respect his capital contribution,in which I take responsibility.”

the Sequence of Calls

Kaminski further disclosed details of three calls he received on the day Reyes disappeared. The first call, at approximately 1:00 PM, was from Reyes himself. Kaminski described it as a “social call” during which Reyes expressed being in a “bad mood” and stated he was traveling from Viña del mar to Santiago “to do a procedure.”

The second call, received around 3:00 PM, was from Wilson Verdugo, currently under examination as a potential intellectual author of the murder. Kaminski stated Verdugo requested the phone number of Reyes’ wife, expressing concern that Reyes may have been shot. Authorities are investigating Verdugo’s alleged connections to organized crime in the Meiggs district of Santiago.

The third call, at approximately 6:00 PM, came from Maria Elena González, Reyes’ widow, who asked kaminski to contact others regarding her husband’s disappearance. Reyes’ body was discovered on February 24, 2024, in a rural area outside of Santiago.

The case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police of Santiago’s Homicide Unit, led by Detective Inspector Ricardo Soto. Authorities are focusing on Reyes’ business dealings and potential conflicts within the Meiggs commercial sector as possible motives for the murder. The Meiggs district, a historically significant trading center in Santiago, has seen a rise in criminal activity in recent years.