Mexican journalist discovered useless days after being reported lacking

The Mexican nationwide newspaper La Jornada stated Saturday that its workers reporter within the Pacific coast state of Nayarit has been discovered useless.

The physique of journalist Luis Martín Sánchez Iñiguez was discovered on the outskirts of the state capital, Tepic, La Jornada reported.

Sánchez Iñiguez, 59, had been lacking since Wednesday and an attraction had been made to search out him, the Nayarit state prosecutors’ workplace stated. The journalist’s spouse reported him lacking, together with a pc and his cellphone.

La Jornada reported that state prosecutors’ workplace confirmed to the paper that Sánchez Iñiguez had been murdered, and that authorities consider his killing was motivated by his work in journalism. 

“The physique was discovered with indicators of violence, and two handwritten indicators have been discovered on it,” prosecutors stated in a press release, however didn’t reveal what the messages stated.

Handwritten indicators are steadily left by drug cartels with the our bodies of victims, however the workplace stated the motive within the killing was nonetheless below investigation.

The workplace stated later Saturday that family had recognized Sánchez Iñiguez’s physique, and stated he had been useless for one or two days earlier than the corpse was discovered.

Sánchez Iñiguez was final seen in Xalisco, a Nayarit city that has lengthy been linked to the smuggling of heroin and opium.

He can be a minimum of the second journalist killed in Mexico this 12 months.

In February, information photographer José Ramiro Araujo was stabbed and overwhelmed to demise within the northern Mexico border state of Baja California.

2022 was among the many deadliest years ever for Mexican journalists, with 15 killed.

Simply two days after Sánchez Iñiguez disappeared, one other journalist was kidnapped in the identical space. Jonathan Lora Ramírez was kidnapped on Friday by “armed, masked males who arrived at his residence in Xalisco, pressured open the door and took him away,” state prosecutors stated.

Lora Ramírez was discovered alive and in good situation Saturday, prosecutors stated.

The prosecutors’ workplace stated a 3rd media employee, recognized as Osiris Maldonado, has been lacking since July 3. Maldonado had previously labored as a journalist, however now labored as a trainer, the prosecutor’s workplace stated. Maldonado left for work early on the morning of July 3, and has not been heard from since, officers stated.

Prosecutors stated they have been investigating the likelihood the abductions and killing have been associated to the journalists’ occupation.

The Committee to Shield Journalists stated it “strongly condemns the killing of journalist Luis Martín Sánchez Iñíguez, correspondent of newspaper La Jornada, within the state of Nayarit, and calls on Mexican authorities to instantly and credibly examine.”