Chilpancingo Mayor Alejandro Arcos Decapitated Days After Taking Office; Second Official Also Killed

Oct 7, 2024, 04:35 AM

Mexican authorities have confirmed the assassination of Chilpancingo Mayor Alejandro Arcos Catalán, who was decapitated on Sunday less than a week after taking office. Arcos, a member of the PRI-PRD alliance, assumed his role on September 30 after winning the June 2 elections. His decapitated body was found inside a vehicle in the Villas del Roble neighborhood, located on the road toward Tixtla (Libramiento a Tixtla) in eastern Chilpancingo. Earlier that day, Arcos had been visiting areas affected by Hurricane John. The incident follows the murder of Francisco Tapia, the city's secretary, who was shot dead three days earlier. Both officials had been in office for less than a week. The state of Guerrero has been plagued by violence, raising concerns about the influence of organized crime on local governments. PRI national leader Alejandro "Alito" Moreno has urged federal authorities to investigate the killings, citing a state of "ingobernabilidad" in Guerrero.