Arcos’ decapitated body was found in a van parked in the Villa del Roble neighbourhood
The mayor of the Mexican city of Chilpancingo, Alejandro Arcos, who had taken office less than a week ago, was murdered and decapitated this Sunday in the town, located in the state of Guerrero (southwest), after which his decapitated body was displayed in a vehicle, just a few days after the murder of the general secretary of the City Council.
The murder of Arcos has been denounced by his party, the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD), whose president, Jesús Zambrano, has maintained that the event is “one more example of the lack of governability” in the state of Guerrero, which is “clearly in the hands of crime”.
“In addition to sending our heartfelt solidarity to his wife, family and friends, we demand that Claudia Sheinbaum take direct responsibility for the clarification and punishment of this political murder in this southern narco-state,” she stressed on her account on the social network X, in a message addressed to the new Mexican president.
The governor of Guerrero, Evelyn Salgado, has issued a statement condemning “strongly” the murder of Arcos. “His loss mourns the entire Guerrero society and fills us with indignation,” she said, before highlighting that she has given the order to “intensify surveillance and social proximity operations in various points of Chilpancingo.”
“To the people of Guerrero, I reiterate the commitment of my government to work in coordination with the authorities of the different levels of government to guarantee peace and governability in Guerrero, always seeking to advance towards the pacification of our state,” she said.
For its part, the Attorney General of Guerrero has announced an investigation into the incident and has stated that there are already agents at the scene of the incident “to carry out the corresponding investigative acts, which will allow obtaining the necessary evidence to clarify the crime.”
“The Attorney General of the state of Guerrero reaffirms its commitment to the people of Guerrero to ensure access to justice and the fight against impunity,” it has highlighted through a statement, without there being any information on arrests in relation to the murder.
According to information collected by the Mexican newspaper ‘La Jornada’, Arcos’ body was found after the authorities received a complaint about the presence of human remains in a vehicle in the Villa del Roble neighborhood.
Security sources cited by this newspaper have detailed that the mayor’s head was found on the roof of a white van, while the body was inside this same vehicle, covered with a sheet.
The incident occurred just a few days after the murder of the Secretary General of the Chilpancingo City Council, Francisco Gonzalo Tapia, who was shot by an unidentified person while walking through the city center. Chilpancingo has been the scene of a confrontation for years between several criminal gangs fighting for control of several municipalities in Guerrero, which has led to an increase in violence that has resulted in hundreds of deaths.
