On November 25, 1960 while on their way back from visiting their husbands, the sisters' car was stopped by Trujillo's henchmen. The assassins first killed the sister's driver, Rufino de la Cruz, and then kidnapped the sisters at gunpoint. They were then strangled and beaten to death with clubs.

This photograph is now in the public domain in the Dominican Republic and the United States according to Art. 26 of Law No. 32-86 on Copyright and Art. 26 of Law No. 65-00 on August 21, 2000, on Copyright because it was first published in the Dominican Republic more than 50 years ago (before 1976) and not published in the US within 30 days. The URAA is not applicable because on the URAA date (1996) the Dominican copyright term for photographs was ten years and this was published before 1986.