Authorities in one of Mexico’s largest cities made a gruesome discovery on Friday when they found seven bodies, with five of them decapitated and another completely dismembered, in a car left in the middle of traffic on a main expressway. The bodies were found in the central state of Puebla, and prosecutors revealed that each body bore messages supposedly outlining the reasons for their deaths.
The messages accused the victims of various crimes, ranging from street-level drug dealing to robbery of freight trucks and extortion. Puebla state chief prosecutor Gilberto Higuera stated that hand-written messages were found on paper with each body, detailing the specific reasons for their killings.
While the prosecutor did not explicitly mention drug cartels, he noted that the stolen car was strategically left in the middle of traffic on the expressway. Such messages left on victims' bodies are often associated with drug cartels, either as threats to rivals or as punishment for violating cartel rules.
Higuera hinted at a possible gang dispute and dominance struggle, suggesting that the killings were not only about establishing control but also aimed at recruitment. In Mexico, cartels sometimes eliminate rivals or individuals engaged in criminal activities to assert their dominance over a territory.
The incident is particularly alarming as it took place in Puebla, a relatively affluent and large city located east of Mexico City. Puebla, Mexico’s fifth largest city, had previously been spared from the drug cartel violence that has plagued surrounding areas.
The bodies left in the middle of the expressway drew immediate attention from the police due to the disruption caused to traffic on the city's main ring road. The investigation into these brutal killings is ongoing as authorities work to uncover the motives behind this heinous crime.
