A heartbreaking picture of four childhood friends emerged days after they were kidnapped and slaughtered by a criminal cartel in the Mexican town of Lagos de Moreno in Jalisco.
Mexican authorities said that Roberto Olmeda, 20; Diego Lara, 20; Uriel Galvan, 19; Dante Cedillo, 22; and Jaime Martinez, 21 went missing on August 11 when they met up for a festival in the town.
Witnesses said that armed men forced the five students out of their cars into a white pick-up and a van with black windows and took off.
Horrifying photos of what unfolded next showcased the kidnapped young men on their knees, their mouths duct-taped and their faces bruised and covered in blood.
The Mexican national TV broadcasted a gruesome video of one of the victims being forced to beat, stab, and behead his friend as the three others layed on the ground.
In the footage, the cartel’s logo could be seen on a brick wall behind the five men. Their families recognized them and their clothing in the footage, police said.
On Wednesday, authorities in Jalisco announced that four burned skulls were discovered in an abandoned property in addition to bloody trainers belonging to the victims.
The remains of a fifth person were found inside one of the victims’ two cars. The car was burnt out, police said.
“What we are seeing here is an act clearly linked to organized crime,” Gov. Enrique Alfaro said.
“These are irrational, violent, and direct attacks against the stability of Jalisco state, and they demand a reaction from the government.”
