Instagram and Youtube star found dead hours after learning he was being investigated for child sex abuse

A popular YouTube and Instagram star has been found dead hours after being accused of possessing child pornography.

Leonel Esteban Borroni, aged 40, who was a travel influencer, was found dead by a relative at his home on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, Argentina, after he failed to answer their calls. The star, who known online as "Un Leon Viajero" which means "A Lion Traveller" in English, is said to have learned hours before his death that he was being investigated for child sex abuse.

Local police say they believe Borroni took his own life on Friday (May 24) but are awaiting autopsy results to confirm this. Paedophile material was allegedly discovered on his electronic devices. Another five men and a woman, aged between 20 and 50, were also implicated in the criminal probe. Locally, it is rumoured that one of the five is a PE teacher while another is a tech firm employee.

Is it thought that to Borroni sent goodbye messages to his loved ones after his home was raided the day prior to his death (on Thursday May 23) as part of an on-going investigation. He was found dead hours after appearing before a judge and being told he was under investigation as part of an ongoing human trafficking and sex abuse probe before being bailed. It is believed the influencer refused to answer questions about the child porn which had supposedly been found.

Authorities in Argentina received a tip-off from a US-based agency specialising in combating child exploitation which honed in on suspects allegedly producing home-made child pornography. Several search warrants were then approved and executed near Buenos Aires.

Borroni was not facing accusations he was producing the images, but he is thought to have been under investigation on suspicion of possession and illegal distribution of child pornography. He had not been formally indicted over any crimes before he was found dead.

Borroni had 164,000 followers on Instagram where he posted photos of the trips he took on his motorbike to places like Ecuador, Venezuela and French Guiana. He also had more than 140,000 subscribers across his two YouTube channels and another 137,000 TikTok followers. His last post was Tuesday May 7 and showed him smiling on his motorbike.