ZACATECAS STATE — The bodies of 10 men were discovered in three locations across Zacatecas state, prompting a major security response and investigation. Authorities stated that all 10 victims were kidnapped in the days before their deaths.

All 10 bodies were found outside Zacatecas city, the state capital. Five of the bodies were found hanging on a highway bridge and displayed signs of torture. Four bodies were found near a government clinic, and one body was found on a roadside.

The victims included a former rural mayor, an ex-police commander, a bar owner, a rancher, a fireman, and entrepreneurs associated with mining and construction. Zacatecas State Attorney General Cristian Paul Camacho Osnaya stated that at least two of the victims were involved in a circle of extortion. Investigators are examining 14 bank accounts possibly related to the killings.

None of the abductions were reported to police before the bodies were discovered. Police have arrested five suspects, at least two of whom may have participated in the killings. Hundreds of army troops, special forces soldiers, and police officers were dispatched across Zacatecas state after the killings.

A video circulated on social media featuring a masked figure reading a statement in front of gunmen in tactical gear. The masked figure in the video claimed the killings were payback from a faction of the Sinaloa cartel. The figure accused state officials of breaking a pact with the cartel and warned that betrayals cost lives. Authorities labeled the video fake and denied any deal or cooperation with cartels.

Zacatecas Governor David Monreal stated, “Whoever ordered and committed this barbarism will pay for it.” Monreal added, “There will be justice, not impunity.” Monreal is a member of Mexico’s Morena political party.

Rosa Carmona Rosales, a domestic worker and search group member, said people in Zacatecas live in terror because they can be disappeared, murdered, or kidnapped, and the authorities do nothing. She said there is no justice. Rosales is part of a search group seeking disappeared victims. Adriana, the daughter of Rosa Carmona Rosales, vanished in 2017.

An anonymous construction executive said extortion payments are common in the region and that demands do not always come from organized crime. The executive said many such demands originate from local governments. He described it as an open secret that in Zacatecas, government and organized crime are in collusion.

Zacatecas is a state of Mexico that was established in 1823. The state has been a site of conflicts between the Jalisco New Generation and Sinaloa cartels. The U.S. State Department assigns Zacatecas state a Level 4 “Do Not Travel” advisory rating.

Authorities stated that the killings in Morelos and Oaxaca were unrelated to the Zacatecas massacre. In 2022, José Gutiérrez, a Mexican-born architect and U.S. citizen, went missing in Zacatecas while visiting his fiancée. Mexican authorities found four bodies in a pit on a ranch in Zacatecas weeks after José Gutiérrez went missing. PureSource News previously reported that security forces were deployed in Puebla after 10 people were killed there.

The discovery of the 10 bodies has intensified scrutiny over security conditions in Zacatecas. Local residents have expressed fear over rising violence and the perceived inability of authorities to protect civilians. Human rights groups have called for independent oversight of the investigation. The federal government has not ruled out the possibility of deploying additional troops if the situation escalates. Forensic teams continue to process evidence from the crime scenes, and autopsies are underway to determine the exact causes of death. The investigation remains ongoing, with officials analyzing surveillance footage and conducting interviews with potential witnesses.