The bodies of 14 people were found Friday morning on the side of a highway in Fresnillo, Zacatecas.

According to initial reports, the bodies were found wrapped in blankets and duct tape at around 7 a.m. along federal highway 45, near the Cerro Gordo community.

A Public Security spokesperson reported that the state Attorney General’s Office has transferred the remains to the state’s Institute of Forensic Sciences to determine the victims’ sex and cause of death.

Governor Alejandro Tello called for the strengthening of the presence of state and federal police and the development of an action strategy.

Violence has occurred across the state in the last 24 hours. 

Also Friday morning, a dismembered body, also covered in blankets, was found near the Río Frío community in the municipality of Calera.

And Thursday morning, a confrontation between criminal organizations in the municipality of Juan Aldama, documented in a recording uploaded to social media where repeated blasts of automatic weapon fire can be heard, left at least four people dead and one home burned to the ground.

So far this year, Zacatecas has experienced an increase in violence and homicides reported to the National Public Security System with a total of 352 murders during the first five months.

That number translates to a murder rate of 21.12 per 100,000 residents, higher than the national average of 11.4 per 100,000 and places Zacatecas in sixth place nationwide for reported homicides per capita, just behind Colima, Baja California, Guanajuato, Chihuahua and Michoacán.

The municipality of Fresnillo, where the 14 bodies were found this morning has the highest murder rate in the state. 

Source: Reforma (sp), El Sol de Zacatecas (sp), La Silla Rota (sp), La Jornada Zacatecas (sp)