Three Mexicans were killed, mutilated and dumped in the street with their severed heads inside sombreros ahead of the country’s independence day celebrations.
The remains of brothers Juan Salvador Patiño Leon, 27, and Jorge Luis, 31, were found on one of the main streets in the city of Xalapa, next to the body of Denisse Yazaret Morales Juárez, 28, the girlfriend of one of the men.
Loved ones had reported the trio missing on September 12, and their bodies were found the following day, just three days before street parties to remember the country’s battle for independence from Spain.
The mutilated bodies of three Mexicans were found on the streets of Xalapa tied up in bin bags with sombreros containing their severed heads on top
Loved ones said the trio went missing on September 12 before their bodies were found the following day, ahead of celebrations for Mexico’s independence day
One of the victims was named as Denisse Yazaret Morales Juárez, 28, (left). She is believed to have been dating one of the men who was killed
The bodies were found wrapped in bin bags tied with brown parcel tape, with two brooms laid over the top of them.
On top of each of the bodies was a sombrero containing the severed heads of the victims, images from the scene show.
The hats were decorated with the colours of the national flag in reference to the upcoming celebrations.
It is not known why the trio were kidnapped or killed, but their remains were found just a few streets from the municipal palace in the centre of the city.
Brothers Jorge Salvador Patiño Leon, 27, (left) and Jorge Luis, 31, (right) were also named among the dead. It is not clear why they were killed
Police were called to where the bodies were found, which is just a few streets away from the city centre, and are now investigating
On the same day as the bodies were discovered, another man was killed while walking on a public highway while his companion was injured.
This week another man – Antonio Mota Perez, 56 – was also killed in the city, forcing government officials to speak out about the “rising violence” in the area.
Americo Zuniga Martinez, the mayor of Xalapa, condemned the violence and called on locals to stay calm during the period of unrest.
Veracruz, the state where Xalapa is located, is known as one of the most violent in Mexico and has been fraught with death and crime since 2010 when the Los Zetas cartel began using the area to assist in their drug smuggling operations.