A popular travel destination for Americans has become the center of concern due to fears of a potential serial killer, following the discovery of three women’s bodies over an 11-day span.
Authorities in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, a well-known resort town, are investigating possible connections between these deaths after the most recent victim was found on Thursday morning, according to a report by Mexico News Daily.
The unsettling series of events began on May 10, when the first body was located near Rancho El Pirulí in Chimborazo. Five days later, another woman’s body was found at a highway stop on the way to Mismaloya.
The body of the third victim was discovered on a dirt road in the Parque Las Palmas neighborhood.
Preliminary reports suggest that all three women, aged between 30 and 35, were found partially unclothed in remote areas.
Each of the victims had tattoos, but none have been identified yet.
The similarities in the cases have prompted investigators to explore whether the killings follow a pattern and whether a single suspect may be responsible.
Aerial view of Mismaloya beach in Puerto Vallarta. The area of Mexico is a hotspot for American tourists
Unconfirmed reports of the recent victim’s identity emerged on social media, suggesting 22-year-old Elizabeth Martinez may be her identity
Martinez has been missing since April
The most recent victim had identifiable tattoos that police believe may help with identification.
The marks were located on her neck, hand, and arm, and consisted of a skull, a woman with horns, and a name. Her body also reportedly showed signs of violence, the outlet reported.
Unconfirmed reports of the recent victim’s identity emerged on social media, suggesting 22-year-old Elizabeth Martinez may be her identity.
Martinez is from the State of México and was reported missing in April, and according to the State of Mexico’s Missing Persons Search Commission, her tattoos matched some of those found on the victim.
Police have not officially confirmed the latest victim’s identity, but reports suggest relatives of a missing woman may travel to Puerto Vallarta on Friday to determine if she is their family member.
Investigators have not classified the case as a serial killing, but they are reviewing evidence, surveillance footage, and police reports to determine whether the deaths are connected.
This follows violent unrest in Mexico after federal forces carried out an operation targeting Nemesio ‘El Mencho’ Oseguera Cervantes, the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (JNGC) on February 22.
That day, cars and businesses were set on fire by the retaliating cartel in 20 of Mexico’s 37 states, and shootouts between cartel members and security forces killed at least 70 people, including 25 Mexican National Guard soldiers.
Mario Braga, a Latin American security analyst at RANE, told the Daily Mail at the time that the Mexican government had deployed security forces that largely brought the chaos under control.
‘But of course, there is the risk that cartel members will try to continue some sort of retaliation,’ Braga said.
Martinez is from the State of México
Tourists spend time at a beach days after a series of blockades and attacks by organized crime
Panoramic view of Puerto Vallarta on a clear winter day
The security analyst added that the cartel was most likely to target ‘either government buildings or security forces, so shootouts are possible, and that, of course, represents indirect security risks to bystanders.’
The JNGC has ‘some degree of presence in at least 27 out of the country’s 32 states, and their cells operate to some extent independently, like a franchise model,’ Braga told the Daily Mail.
Braga noted that when it comes to cartel violence, ‘usually the killings are restrained to people involved in the drug dealing or the other illegal activities.’
But he also said that all it takes for a foreigner to accidentally be targeted by the cartel is to drive into the wrong neighborhood with an unrecognized car.
Cartel members may mistake the vehicle for that of a police officer or undercover agent, which could lead them to shoot first and ask questions later, or to kidnap the driver.
And getting abducted is often a brutal death sentence. The JNGC is particularly violent, Braga said, and their ‘modus operandi’ is to ‘resort to, perhaps, beheadings,’ or to leave ‘parts of bodies dismembered across the road.’
