GUADALAJARA, Mexico, Sept 30, (APP/AFP) – The bodies
of nine murder victims have been found in a river in western Mexico, near a lake popular among American expatriates, authorities said Thursday.
Eight men and one woman were recovered between Monday and Wednesday in the Lerma River and authorities are still searching for other possible victims, said Eduardo Almaguer, the top prosecutor in Jalisco state.
At least two victims had bullet wounds and two others were mutilated, but Almaguer did not give more details about the way the rest were killed.
“All the bodies show signs of violence,” he said, adding that they were found near the mouth of the river, which flows into Lake Chapala.
The bodies were recovered in a fishing area but the lake is also surrounded by a large expat community.
The western state has been hit by violence perpetrated by the Jalisco New Generation drug cartel, one of Mexico’s most powerful and violent criminal groups.
But Almaguer said it was unclear where the bodies were dumped. Jalisco is next to Michoacan, another state that has endured years of drug violence.
