A “monster” serial killer who murdered at least 19 women during a bloody three-decade spree has died in prison.
Andrés Mendoza, 77, had only served five years of his life sentence when his body was discovered in his cell on Thursday.
It’s understood the “Monster of Atizapan” died from complications linked to pneumonia at Tenango del Valle prison in Mexico.
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Police first came into contact with the savage killer while investigating the disappearance of 34-year-old Reyna González in May 2021.
He was arrested when cops discovered human remains, the IDs of missing women, clothing, shoes and jewellery during a search of his home in Atizapán near Mexico City.
While scouring the property, detectives also found at least 4,300 bone fragments, women’s names scrawled in a notebook, videotapes and other belongings.
The former butcher confessed to the killings within days, reportedly telling detectives his decades-long bloodlust had started back in 1991.
He is said to have told a judge: “All I want is to tell the truth. I’ve done it, so what can I do?”
He claimed to have killed more than 30 victims in that time, but prosecutors could only link him to 19 murders.
The killer told police he would strike up friendships with his victims by approaching them on the street, before luring them back to his home.
His grim testimony detailed how he would then stab them in the heart and dismember the bodies before hiding the parts around his home.
In a gruesome confession, he even admitted to consuming some of their flesh.
Mendoza was sentenced to life in prison, along with an additional 92-year term, and six other sentences for femicide and other offences.
He died in a prison unit for elderly and vulnerable inmates, having served just five years behind bars.
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