Thursday, June 26, 2025

10 bodies abandoned in car beneath Christmas tree in Zacatecas city center

The Zacatecas governor got an unwanted present for Kings Day: a vehicle with 10 dead bodies abandoned beneath the giant Christmas tree in front of the state government palace in the early hours of the morning.

Governor David Monreal Ávila appeared in a Facebook Live video around 7 a.m. to inform the public of the incident. He said the silver Mazda SUV entered the Plaza de Armas around 5:15 a.m. and was abandoned minutes later. The driver took off running and escaped behind the Basilica Cathedral of Zacatecas, he said.

Authorities initially believed it to be a car accident, before finding the pile of bodies inside the vehicle. The Attorney General’s Office arranged for the vehicle to be towed, and the army and National Guard cordoned off the area for about an hour. Within two hours of the incident, the vehicle had been cleared and authorities vacated the area.

Monreal announced in a video Thursday afternoon that those responsible for the incident had been arrested, but didn’t specify how many people had been detained or any further details.

Initial reports indicated that there were six bodies in the vehicle, but the Security and Citizen Protection Ministry (SSPC) later clarified that there were, in fact, 10 cadavers.

The incident, presumably orchestrated by organized crime, comes after the federal government’s November announcement of the deployment of additional troops to the area as part of a new security plan. The state faces high levels of violence and has been the site of a turf war between the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) since mid-2020.

A number of bodies have been left hanging from bridges and highway overpasses in recent months, a highly visible message that organized crime groups are active in the state.

With reports from Milenio

Have something to say? Paid Subscribers get all access to make & read comments.
mass grave near Jojutla, Morelos

Officials minimize search collective’s report of 60 bodies found in Morelos mass grave

1
On Tuesday, Amnesty International expressed its "profound concern" over the "alleged irregular burial" of at least 60 people, including 10 babies, in a mass grave in the central Mexican state of Morelos.
a woman gets caught in the rain in Oaxaca

Mexico City has rainiest June in 21 years

1
In the past 25 days, more than 220 million cubic meters of water have fallen on the capital, which has caused capitalinos to consider adding a new umbrella to their weekly grocery list.
Aerial view of a winding pier with a circular end extending into clear blue-green ocean, with a sandy beach and a city skyline visible beyond.

MND Local: Puerto Vallarta June news roundup

0
The latest news from Puerto Vallarta includes plans for an ambitious ecopark complex, the impending opening of new luxury hotels and a U.S. security alert about using dating apps.