In a shocking turn of events, Mexican authorities have stumbled upon four decapitated and burned bodies, possibly connected to a terrifying video that recently made its way online. The video shows one of five kidnapped young men being coerced into killing a friend on camera. The bodies, yet to be identified due to the extent of burning, were found in a building in Jalisco, a western state of Mexico, not far from where the young men were reportedly abducted.
Images released by Jalisco prosecutors reveal a dilapidated building standing in isolation in an open field. There is speculation that a fifth body, previously found in a torched car in the area, could belong to the last member of the group.
The horrifying details of the decapitations are consistent with the disturbing video that appeared online earlier this week. The video displays the beheaded bodies of three young men, bound and motionless. In a chilling scene, someone off-camera throws a brick to one of the victims, who is then forced to bludgeon the fifth member of the group before beheading him with a knife.
The young men had reportedly gone missing last week after attending a festival. Relatives of the missing individuals have informed authorities that they recognized the clothing and physical appearance of the young men in the video.
State officials have launched an investigation into the video, but have also called on federal prosecutors to intervene, given the potential involvement of drug cartels. The decision to involve federal authorities is in the hands of the federal attorney general, as stated by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
The young men were last seen on Friday, heading to a festival in the city of Lagos de Moreno, an area infamous for cartel violence. Investigators, acting on leads, raided a series of brick and concrete buildings on a ranch on Wednesday, finding bloodstains on the floor and shoes strewn around. The state prosecutor’s office, in a statement on Wednesday, suggested that the evidence pointed to the presence of the five young men at the ranch.