Mexico : Authorities have discovered 17 bodies buried in an abandoned house in the Guanajuato state in central Mexico, a region gripped by persistent cartel violence, the state prosecutor’s office announced on Monday evening, May 26.

The grim discovery was made last week in the city of Irapuato using ground-penetrating radar and cadaver dogs.

According to CBS News , investigators also recovered weapons and tools at the site, including knives, machetes, pickaxes, and shovels.

Five of the victims, one woman and four men, have been identified as individuals previously reported missing, prosecutors confirmed.

Guanajuato, despite being an industrial powerhouse and a popular tourist destination, remains the most violent state in Mexico, according to national homicide statistics.

The bloodshed is largely fuelled by a brutal turf war between two rival criminal organisations: the Santa Rosa de Lima gang and the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), which has been designated a foreign terrorist organisation by the United States under President Donald Trump's administration.

How many people died in recent violent attacks in Mexico?

The latest mass grave was uncovered just days after seven people, including children, were shot and killed in the same region.

Authorities reported that two banners referencing the Santa Rosa de Lima gang were found at the scene, echoing a pattern in which cartels leave messages near victims to intimidate rivals or punish perceived offences.

Violence in Guanajuato has continued unabated. In February, gunmen murdered eight people — five women and three men — in a public street.

A month earlier, a fierce clash between security forces and armed criminals left 10 suspected gang members dead and three police officers wounded.

Amid government inaction, local civil society groups — often composed of relatives of the missing — have taken it upon themselves to search for remains in areas controlled by cartels, frequently putting their lives at risk.

Meanwhile, since Mexico's military launched a nationwide anti-drug offensive in 2006, the country has recorded approximately 480,000 violent deaths.

Missing girl found dead, buried under suspect's bed

Meanwhile, a young girl, Baby Tamara, who was reported missing over the weekend, was found murdered and buried under a bed in a house in Majengo, Nyeri.

Tamara was last seen at the New Open Air Market near Nyeri Town stage, dressed in a brown sweater and maroon trousers.

Her disappearance sparked a widespread public appeal, with the community rallying to help locate her and return her safely to her family.

Following her discovery, the main suspect, a well-known porter (beba beba) in the area, has been arrested and is currently being held at Nyeri Police Station.

Proofreading by Mercy Nyambura, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.

Source: TUKO.co.ke