Mexican Journalist Found Dead a Month After Kidnapping; 8 Detained, Including 4 Police Officers

Mexican authorities have confirmed the killing of journalist Roxana Berenice Guzmán Ramírez, director of the digital news outlet Pulso Informativo del Sureste, more than a month after she was abducted from her home.

Guzmán Ramírez was taken from her house in the municipality of Nanchital on June 2 by a group of armed men, according to the Veracruz State Attorney General’s Office. Video footage that circulated on social media showed hooded gunmen breaking down her door before dragging her away, according to La Jornada.

The Attorney General’s Office said forensic and genetic testing confirmed that human remains recovered from a rural property confirmed the identity of the journalist, according to El Financiero. The remains were found on a ranch between the municipalities of Ixhuatlán del Sureste and Moloacán.

The location of the remains was disclosed by one of the suspects, José del Carmen Cadena Escayola, known by the alias “Delta 7,” after his arrest in Coatzacoalcos by Mexican naval forces working with Veracruz state security, according to reports.

Eight people have been detained in connection with the case, including four alleged members of the criminal group known as Grupo Sombra, also called the Mafia Veracruzana, according to the Attorney General’s Office. Four active municipal police officers from Ixhuatlán del Sureste were also detained, accused of providing logistical support to the criminal group, according to Democrata.

Veracruz Gov. Rocío Nahle confirmed that the operation led to the discovery of a body that was later identified as the journalist’s, according to the news outlet Perfil.