Nine 'students' found dismembered by side of Mexico highway after disappearing on beach holiday
The bodies of nine students who went missing last month in Mexico have been found dismembered next to a side of the road, along with a bag containing their severed hands.
Listen to this article
The remains were found in an abandoned vehicle in San Jose Miahuatlan on the border of the Mexican states of Puebla and Oaxaca, around 175 miles from Mexico City.
In what is believed to be the latest savage killing by Mexico’s drug cartels, five of the victims were found in the car under a blood-stained tarp, while the other four were stuffed into the boot of the car.
According to local reports, eight pairs of hands were found in a bag dumped at the scene, with a further two hands in the boot of the car.
All of the bodies, of the four women and five men, had signs of torture and were found with bullet wounds. They were aged between 19 and 30.
The group went missing on February 27 after travelling to the beaches of Oaxaca for a holiday.
Initial reports suggested the group were all students, originally from Tlaxcala, however other reports have emerged in Mexico that they were members of the 'Los Zacapoaxtlas' criminal organisation.
Read more: China says it is ‘ready for war’ with America as Trump tariffs come into effect
Eight of the nine victims have been identified so far: Angie Lizeth, 29, Brenda Mariel, 19, Jacqueline Ailet, 23, Noemi Yamileth, 28, Lesly Noya Trejo, 21, Raul Emmanuel, 28, Ruben Antonio, and Rolando Armando.
“There are lines of investigation, but I cannot reveal them due to confidentiality,” Idamis Pastor Betancourt, head of Puebla's State Attorney General's Office, said at a press conference yesterday.
“All relevant investigations are being carried out.
“When we have a response and the investigation is complete, we will be in a position to provide more information,” he added.