Mexican Authorities Say Murder and Dismemberment of Beachgoers Could Be Linked To Criminal Organizations

Mexican authorities continue investigating the murders of nine people that went missing before their bodies were found dismembered along a highway in central Mexico.

The five men and four women reportedly went missing on Feb. 27 after making a vacation trip to Huatulco, Oaxaca. Their bodies were found a few days later in the municipality of San José Miahuatlán, in the state of Puebla, with officials reportedly saying that the murders could be linked to a dispute between criminal organizations. They are also not ruling out the idea of involvement by local law enforcement.

Oaxaca's Attorney General's Office said in a statement that the disappearance of at least four of the victims —three women and a man— were likely linked to a dispute between criminal organizations. The post also added that investigators found evidence that suggests that municipal police officers were involved in the kidnappings and murders.

Authorities found all dismembered bodies inside the vehicle after responding to a call. Four were found in the trunk and, upon further inspection, they found a bloodied tarp that contained five more bodies and a bag with eight pairs of hands, per local media outlet Central Puebla Irreverente.

Investigators believe local police officers colluded in the murders after local press reported that Brenda Mariel Salas Moya, one of two survivors of the attack, said she and another victim had left a hostel when they were intercepted by what seemed to be a local police car.

Both Brenda and Jacqueline Ailet, were beat and placed a hood on their heads before separating them. Brenda was abandoned on a road, from where she managed to reach a city and report the crime.

Although authorities found nine bodies during the investigations, the Oaxaca Attorney General's Office has only received five reports of people that have gone missing, with the latest one being that of Jaqueline Ailet Meza Cázares, who allegedly went missing on Feb. 26 while in Huatulco.

Meza Cázares was eventually found in the state of Puebla, but authorities did not reveal if she was found alive or if she was one of the victims found inside the abandoned vehicle along the Cuacnopalan-Oaxaca highay.