Xcalak, Q.R. — Six of the bodies found on a Yucatan ranch Saturday are those of the missing men from Xcalak. FGE authorities from both Yucatan and Quintana Roo have confirmed that after DNA testing, six of the bodies belong the men reported missing last week.
On June 25, eight bodies were found on a ranch in Chikindzonot, Yucatan, an area that borders the state of Quintana Roo. Authorities say when the bodies were found, three had been dead for 72 hours.
Óscar Montes de Oca who heads the FGE in Quintana Roo, confirmed Monday that six of the eight have been identified as those of the missing Xcalak men. Last week, in a period of 48 hours, a total of seven men were reported missing by their families.
On June 25, another man, 53-year-old Emilio N from Mahahual, was also reported as missing. All eight men were palapa builders and on-site property caretakers.
During a Monday interview, Montes de Oca explained that “early Saturday, they reported the discovery of eight bodies in a town in the state of Yucatan. We contacted those authorities and (…) these people have been identified as the same ones reported missing.”
Montes de Oca said that the killings could be drug related. “There is a lot of of drugs there (in Xcalak). The fact that they were tortured before they lost their lives reflects a lot on us. I don’t want to get too far ahead, but it is surely something like that.
“We also have some complaints of dispossession of one property, so we are working to learn exactly what happened to be able to determine the exact motive for this and find the people who participated so that the crime does not go unpunished.”
Each of the bodies were found wrapped in a tarpaulin full of black earth. It is believed they were shot and killed on the Xcalak properties then transferred to the Yucatan ranch for disposal. The eight missing men range in age from 19 to 53. The other two bodies found on the Yucatan ranch have not yet been identified.
On Tuesday morning, the bodies of all eight found on the Yucatan ranch were delivered to authorities in Chetumal. The eight bodies arrived in two forensic vehicles.
The seaside town of Xcalak is approximately 68 kilometers south of Mahahual in Costa Maya. Montes de Oca said police have already begun a search operation in the southern region of Quintana Roo for those responsible.