Two bodies, including that of a teenager, were discovered near the roadside in connection with the murder of a mayor who was leading efforts to combat drug cartels.
Carlos Manzo, aged 40, from Uruapan, a city located approximately 251 miles west of Mexico City, was fatally shot in a crowded central square during Day of the Dead celebrations. Shortly after, 17-year-old Miguel Angel Ubaldo Vidales was identified and killed by police, with an ongoing investigation into the circumstances.
The mayor had requested additional support from the Mexican central government to address drug-related crimes, while Ubaldo Vidales was found to have ties to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. The assailant, who fired six shots at the mayor, had been missing from home for about a week.
Governor Alfedo Ramirez Bedolla revealed that the two individuals found murdered on the road from Uruapan to Paracho, near Capacuaro, were associated with the killer who targeted the mayor.
Ramirez Bedolla stated, “The prosecutor’s office can confirm that two other individuals were involved in the assassination alongside the killer, and these two are the ones found deceased in Capácuaro.” He expressed concern over the recruitment of teenagers by cartels in Michoacan, where crime has escalated, particularly in Uruapan, renowned for its avocado industry, where farmers have been extorted by criminal groups.
An investigation is ongoing into the events of the fatal attack on the mayor, who had eight private bodyguards and 14 police officers protecting him. Authorities are also probing the circumstances leading to Ubaldo Vidales’ death despite being in police custody, followed by a fatal shot.
Ramirez Bedolla mentioned, “We are also looking into why the killer was shot dead after being apprehended. There was a struggle, and a single shot killed him. This is under investigation.” The discovery of the assassins’ two associates murdered presents another layer for detectives to explore.
Meanwhile, the widow of Manzo, Grecia Quiroz, was sworn in before the State Congress to assume her late husband’s mayoral duties. Quiroz pledged to continue Manzo’s work, stating, “They killed Carlos Manzo, but they couldn’t kill what he awakened.”