Vengeful locals have lynched a suspected killer accused of murdering a grandmother and her granddaughter.
A second suspect was rescued alive after also being attacked.
The two men had been arrested over the shocking deaths when residents intercepted the police as they prepared to transfer the suspects to the state capital.
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Andrés ‘N’, known as ‘El Cera’, died in the vigilante attack, while Armando ‘N’, nicknamed ‘El Melo’, was injured and taken for medical treatment.
The case unfolded in Ostuacán in Chiapas State, Mexico, where Miriam Cruz Alpuche, 55, and her granddaughter Ariana Scarlett Velázquez Cruz, 12, disappeared on 19 October.
The pair had travelled to a family ranch in the Tanchichal area to tend to livestock but failed to return home, as reported by Need To Know.
Miriam’s body was found on 21 October, while Ariana was discovered dead two days later after an extensive search involving relatives, residents and authorities.
Post-mortem examinations found that Miriam died from severe blood loss caused by an injury to major blood vessels in her neck.
Ariana died by strangulation and had suffered a severe head injury, while investigators also reported signs of sexual assault.
Authorities announced the arrests of the two suspects on Saturday (24 Oct).
But residents lynched them before they could be transferred to the state capital, Tuxtla Gutiérrez.
Chiapas prosecutor Jorge Luis Llaven Abarca said investigators believed the double killing had been motivated by personal revenge.
He said the suspects had allegedly followed the victims to the place where the crimes were committed before fleeing.
The prosecutor also confirmed that a separate investigation had been opened into Andrés’s death during the mob attack.
The authorities intend to pursue the case against the surviving suspect, with prosecutors seeking the maximum penalty of 100 years in prison.
Chiapas governor Eduardo Ramírez Aguilar urged residents to leave justice to the authorities, warning: “The justice taken into your own hands does not bring us peace and can cause more pain and consequences for innocent people.”
The investigation continues.
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