The bodies of the four women and five men, aged 19 to 30 and all from the town of Tlaxcala, were found in the boot of an abandoned car on a rural road around 175 miles from Mexico City
The nine students who disappeared before being found dismembered by the side of the road along with a “bag of hands” also showed signs of “torture” before being shot.
Southern Mexico cops made the horrifying discovery after the group of friends went missing during a trip to celebrate their graduation. Searches had gone on for days after the alarm was raised by their parents, who had believed they would be found alive.
But on Sunday, the bodies of the four women and five men, aged 19 to 30 and all from the town of Tlaxcala, were found in the boot of an abandoned car on a rural road between Puebla and Oaxaca, around 175 miles from Mexico City. Initial autopsy assessments showed bullet wounds and signs of torture on their bodies, according to Mexican newspaper El Financiero. Officers also found a bag with eight pairs of severed hands at the scene, and two more hands turned up in the car’s boot, reported local media.
The young victims identified so far are Angie Lizeth, 29, Brenda Mariel, 19, Jacqueline Ailet, 23, Noemi Yamileth, 28, Lesly Noya Trejo, 21, Raul Emmanuel, 28, Ruben Antonio, and Rolando Armando. However, police have launched an investigation and are working to identify the ninth victim. Police are yet to name any suspects, while the Attorney General’s Office in Puebla said it is working with colleagues in Tlaxcala and Oaxaca to follow up lines of enquiry.
Eerie CCTV footage shows the last time they were seen alive on February 24. The group of friends were seen driving along the Atlixcayotl highway near the town of Atlixco, around 90 miles west of where their remains were eventually found.
Speaking at press conference this week, the head of Puebla’s State Attorney General’s Office, Idamis Pastor Betancourt, said: “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.”
Mexico’s murder rate continues to climb, with 30,000 people killed in 2023, the most recent year for available data. It marked the most violent year in the country’s recent history, with the majority of the killings connected to the drugs trade.
