Three abandoned bodies covered with sheets and plastic bags have been found in less than two days on the shores of the highway circling Lake Amatitlán, located about two hours from Guatemala City.
The most recent case occurred on the morning of this November 12 at kilometer 26 of that perimeter route around the lake, where members of the Volunteer Firefighters found a deceased person inside several tied cloths.
Due to the state of decomposition of the body, rescue workers and experts from the Public Prosecutor's Office (MP) avoided immediately determining the identity and sex of the victim before it was transferred to the morgue.
The previous discovery occurred on November 11 at kilometer 40 of the same road that connects the municipalities of Amatitlán and Villa Canales.
Residents traveling through the area spotted suspicious bundles abandoned beside the road and alerted rescue services.
Upon inspecting the site, rescuers confirmed the presence of two corpses wrapped in black plastic bags and pieces of fabric.
They had a message
In addition to the bodies, agents of the National Civil Police reported that the two bodies found on November 11 had been abandoned with a message written on a sheet of paper.
According to reports, the piece of paper included a handwritten message that read verbatim: "Arrieros somos y en el camino andamos" ("We are muleteers and we travel the road").
So far no s…
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The National Civil Police found a note with the message "We are all mule drivers and we are on the road" next to the remains left on November 11. (Volunteer Firefighters)Three abandoned bodies, covered with sheets and plastic bags, have been found in less than two days on the roadside of the beltway around Lake Amatitlán, located about two hours from Guatemala City. The most recent case occurred on the morning of this November 12 at kilometer 26 of that perimeter route around the lake, where members of the Volunteer Firefighters found a deceased person wrapped in several tied cloths. Due to the state of decomposition of the body, the rescuers and experts from the Public Prosecutor's Office (MP) avoided immediately determining the identity and sex of the victim before it was transferred to the morgue. The Volunteer Firefighters found a deceased person wrapped in tied cloths at kilometer 26 of the perimeter route around Lake Amatitlán. (Volunteer Firefighters)The previous discovery occurred on November 11 at kilometer 40 of the same road that connects the municipalities of Amatitlán and Villa Canales. Residents traveling through the area spotted suspicious bundles abandoned beside the road and alerted the emergency services. Upon inspecting the site, the rescuers confirmed the presence of two corpses wrapped in black plastic bags and pieces of fabric. In addition to the bodies, agents of the National Civil Police reported that the two bodies found on November 11 had been abandoned with a message written on a sheet of paper. According to reports, the piece of paper included a handwritten message that read verbatim: "Arrieros somos y en el camino andamos" ("We are all mule drivers and we are on the road"). The two bodies found on November 11 had a handwritten message. (Volunteer Firefighters)So far, no information has been provided about the possible motives for the attack against the people found, nor the reason for the written message. Hours after the initial investigation at kilometer 40, the National Institute of Forensic Sciences (Inacif) established that the victims were Pablo Armando Melgar López, 23, and Sandry Rossmery Shutuc Hernández, 38. The forensic examinations determined that the cause of death was gunshot wounds. Inacif identified Pablo Melgar López and Sandry Shutuc Hernández as the two victims who died from gunshot wounds. (Social Media)The records of the National Civil Police (PNC) revealed direct background information on Melgar López. The young man had been detained on June 29 in the village of Chichimecas, in Villa Canales, along with three other men accused of being part of a hitman cell. During that operation, security forces seized firearms and a vehicle that was allegedly used to watch over drivers of informal transportation, known as "pirate taxis." Security forces captured Pablo Melgar López in June during an operation against an alleged hitman cell in Villa Canales. (QuetzalTV)The Ministry of the Interior attributes the crimes to gang disputesFaced with the recurrence of corpses abandoned in public spaces wrapped in bags and sheets, the head of the Ministry of the Interior, Marco Antonio Villeda, has stated in several declarations that these episodes are part of the violence exerted by gangs in settling scores and leadership disputes. Villeda detailed that many of the homicides are carried out inside private homes, a factor that limits the PNC's direct prevention, since judicial orders are required to search properties without prior flagrante delicto. Subsequently, the criminal groups move the mortal remains to deserted roads or ravines to hinder forensic tracking.