At least 23 bodies have been left in key locations in the border city of Nuevo Laredo. The badly beaten cadavers of 5 men and 4 women were left hanging from an overpass early this morning along with a large banner accusing them of ties to a car bomb that exploded there last week.
By mid-day social media users were reporting another 14 bodies had been left inside of a vehicle near the Association of Customs Agents and three coolers containing human heads had been discovered near city hall. Last month, a minivan containing 14 dismembered bodies in plastic bags were left in front of Nuevo Laredo’s city hall.
Journalists march in Mexico City to protest killings
Journalists are marching today in Mexico City to demand the government take action to investigate and punish crimes against media workers. Today’s protest comes on the heels of a multi-homicide in Veracruz.
The remains of two photojournalists, a former cameraman, and a newspaper administrative worker were found yesterday – World Press Freedom Day – tortured, dismembered and dumped in plastic trash bags in a canal in Veracruz. Relatives of the two photojournalists, Guillermo Luna Varela and Gabriel Huge, reported the two as missing Wednesday afternoon.
The third man, Esteban Rodríguez, worked as a crime photographer for 5 years but left the profession in August of 2011 after the murder of two of key staffers of the regional Notiver newspaper. All three had expressed serious concerns for their personal safety in 2011.
The fourth victim was Irasema Becerra, who worked in the sales department at another local paper, El Dictamen, and was the girlfriend of one of the other victims.
The sadistic quadruple homicide came just five days after investigative journalist Regina Martinez was beaten and strangled to death in her home in the state capital of Veracruz.