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Severed bodies of 9 students on vacation found in Mexico
The bodies found in the trunk belonged to four women and five men aged between 19 to 30.
In a harrowing incident, the severed bodies of nine students, who went missing while on a vacation in Mexico last month, were found by the side of a local highway.
The bodies were found in the trunk of an abandoned vehicle and underneath a blood-covered tarp in San Jose Miahuatlan on the border of the Mexican states of Puebla and Oaxaca.
Alongside the body, a bag with eight pairs of severed hands was also found. Two more hands left in the trunk reported Periodico Central.
As per the report, four of the bodies were in the trunk, while the other five corpses were left under the tarp.
The bodies found in the trunk belonged to four women and five men aged between 19 to 30. They reportedly have signs of bullet wounds and torture.
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Most of the victims have been identified: Angie Lizeth, Leslie, Brenda Mariel, Jacqueline Ailet, Noemi Yamileth, Raul Emmanuel, Ruben Antonio, and Rolando Armando.
The group, mostly students, went on a vacation to Mexico from Tlaxcala and reportedly went missing on February 27 when they travelled to the beaches in Oaxaca for a vacation.
A dark grey Volkswagen Vento with license plates registered in neighbouring Tlaxcala was discovered on Sunday afternoon around 150 miles southeast of Mexico City, said Periodico Central.
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Video surveillance footage taken February 24 shows the vehicle driving along the Atlixcayotl highway near the town of Atlixco about 90 miles west of where the students’ remains were found, Periodico Central said.
Cartel involvement suspected
While the suspects are yet to be named, the nature of the killings and the brutality suggest cartel involvement. On the other hand, the Mexican media reported that the ninth victim was yet to be identified.
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The Attorney General's Office in Puebla is collaborating with its other local law enforcement agencies in Tlaxcala and Oaxaca in a widespread effort to catch the grisly killers.
