THE bodies of nine missing students have been found dismembered in Mexico – reportedly alongside a bag of severed hands.
The grim discovery was made in an abandoned car in San Jose Miahuatlan, on the border of the states of Puebla and Oaxaca, around 175 miles from Mexico City.
Five of the students’ decomposing remains were sprawled under a blood-soaked tarp, while the remaining four were found twisted inside the vehicle’s trunk.
The shocking scene could be yet another ruthless cartel execution, authorities believe.
Each student had their hands chopped off and crammed into a bag, which was then stuffed inside the car trunk by a highway, cops are said to have discovered.
The victims, originally from Tlaxcala, were last seen on February 27 after reportedly heading to Oaxaca’s popular beaches.
Three days after the students were reported missing, authorities discovered a dark grey Volkswagen Vento with Tlaxcala plates abandoned along the high-traffic Cuacnopalan-Oaxaca highway, reports Periodico Central.
Among the victims believed to be identified are Angie Lizeth Garcia, 29, Brenda Mariel, 19, Jacqueline Ailet, 23, Noemi Yamileth, 28, Lesly Noya Trejo, 21, Raul Emmanuel, 28, Ruben Antonio, and Rolando Armando.
The ninth victim remains unidentified.
So far, no suspects have been named.
The Puebla Attorney General’s Office is working alongside law enforcement agencies in Tlaxcala and Oaxaca in a desperate attempt to track down those responsible.
[bc_video account_id=”5067014667001″ application_id=”” aspect_ratio=”16:9″ autoplay=”” caption=”Horror as at least 37 killed and dozens injured after two buses crash head-on as cops launch probe into deadly smash” embed=”in-page” experience_id=”” height=”100%” language_detection=”” max_height=”360px” max_width=”640px” min_width=”0px” mute=”” padding_top=”56%” picture_in_picture=”” player_id=”default” playlist_id=”” playsinline=”” sizing=”responsive” video_id=”6369493473112″ video_ids=”” width=”640px”]Surveillance footage from February 24 shows the students’ vehicle travelling along the Atlixcayotl highway near Atlixco, around 90 miles west of where their bodies were found, Periodico Central reported.
Idamis Pastor Betancourt, head of Puebla’s State Attorney General’s Office, told reporters on Monday: “So far I cannot offer information.
“There are lines of investigation, but I cannot reveal them due to confidentiality.
“All relevant investigations are being carried out.
“When we have a response and the investigation is complete, we will be in a position to provide more information.”
CARTEL HELL
Mexico is in the grip of an escalating cartel war, with 2023 marking the country’s deadliest year in recent history — over 30,000 murders, many linked to drug-fuelled violence, were recorded.
Gangland slayings are often accompanied by stomach-churning brutality.
Beheadings, mutilations and mass graves have become grim calling cards for the country’s ruthless criminal organisations.
Cartels don’t just kill — they train recruits to embrace carnage.
The CJNG, estimated to have 5,000 members, runs La Escuela de Terror — the School of Terror — where initiates are desensitised to bloodshed through extreme violence, including cannibalism.