A sergeant major has been arrested for the killing of a 19-year-old soldier inside her barracks.
Private Stephany Carmona Rojas reportedly sustained two gunshots to the head on 14 October.
At the time, the military claimed she had died in a “shooting range accident”.
But her sergeant, Sergeant Major Yair Manuel Ramírez de la Cruz, fled the scene immediately and remained at large until he was tracked down on Saturday morning (18 Oct).
He is now being held in a military prison.
Reports have also emerged that Stephany had filed complaints of sexual and workplace harassment in the force before her death.
On social media, she stated that she was a victim of alleged harassment and feared retaliation if she reported it.
Her mother, María Fernanda Carmona, said: “I gave her to them alive and they returned her to me dead.
“Nothing they told me makes sense, my daughter wasn’t at shooting practice, she was murdered.
“I want justice, and for no one else to experience what she did.”
Stephany died inside the 51st Battalion of the National Guard in Acapulco, Mexico.
Her family have accused authorities of concealing information and failing to give a clear account of what happened, as reported by Need To Know.
Her mother has called for the case to be investigated transparently with a gender perspective.
The case has sparked protests across Mexico, with the hashtag #JusticeForStephany trending online.
Stephany was laid to rest at the San Juan Bautista Cemetery in her hometown of Ajalpan, Puebla State, on 17 October.
The suspect is expected to face trial in a military court over her death.
Created in 2019, the National Guard became Mexico’s main gendarmerie after absorbing units and officers from the Military Police, Federal Police, and Naval Police.
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