Bodies of priests and guide murdered in Mexico are located

authorities of Mexico located this Wednesday, the 22nd, the bodies of two Jesuit priests and the tourist guide who were murdered earlier this week, in the municipality of Urique, in the state of Chihuahua. “We were able to locate and recover, and this was confirmed by forensic medicine, the bodies of Jesuit priests Javier Campos and Joaquín Mora, and tourist guide Pedro Palma,” said Governor Maru Campos, governor of the state. “We hope to have more information later,” she added in a message posted on social media. On Monday, Fathers Javier Campos Morales, 79, and Joaquín César Mora Salazar, 80, tried to protect a man who entered the church fleeing armed people, but ended up dead. After the attack, the bodies were removed from Francisco Xavier parish, in the city of Cerocahui, which caused social outrage.

Since then, the municipality has been surrounded by the Army and access to the area is restricted. Authorities are trying to locate José Noriel Portillo Gil, known as “El Chueco”, the alleged gunman who murdered the priests and the guide. He is appointed as the head of a criminal group that operates in the state. The murders of religious are part of a wave of violence that has been plaguing Mexico and growing since 2019. This year, the country has recorded 33,316 homicides. According to the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), the perception of insecurity among Mexicans increased from 65.8% in December 2021 to 66.2% in the last month of March.

*With EFE