Government Data Reveals Murder Probes in Mexico Reached a Record High in May Deutsche Welle
go to original June 22, 2017

Soldiers keep watch at a crime scene where police found trash bags with human remains in an abandoned pick-up truck, in Monterrey, Mexico (Reuters/Daniel Becerril)

Violence in Mexico hit a new high in May, with the number of murder investigations breaking a record, according to official data published this week.

Last month, authorities recorded 2,186 murder probes, the highest amount for any month dating back to 1997, when the government began tallying figures. Several of the probes likely include multiple homicides.

The number of murder victims reported in May also broke a record, marking the highest recorded in a separate series of data dating back to 2014.

According to authorities, murder investigations totaled 9,916 cases in the first five months of this year, marking a nearly 30-percent increase from the same period last year.

Officials have placed part of the blame on the soaring number of murders sweeping across the country on drug cartels vying to fill the void left by the arrest and extradition of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. Guzman, who was extradited to the US in January, stands accused of leading Mexico's notorious Sinaloa cartel, known for major cross-border drug-trafficking operations and violent attacks against rivals and security forces.

Many Mexican citizens have blamed President Enrique Pena Nieto for failing to provide security.

Read the rest at Deutsche Welle

Related: Police at Ground Zero for the Sinaloa Cartel's Battle of Succession Are Outgunned and Overwhelmed (Business Insider)

Related: Death in Mexico Resembles a Civil War: Three Murders Per Hour in Early 2017 (Modern Tokyo Times)

Related: Mexico on Course to Replace Syria as World’s Most Violent Country (VICE News)

Related: Crime in Mexico: Murder Rate Reaches Record High and Nobody Is Talking About It (Newsweek)

Related: 'Pretty Grim. Not Shocking': Murders Spike in Mexico, and May Was the Deadliest Month in Decades (Associated Press)

We invite you to add your charity or supporting organizations' news stories and coming events to PVAngels so we can share them with the world. Do it now!