They find the bodies of the two Jesuits and the local guide murdered in Mexico

• Chihuahua Murdered two Jesuit priests in Mexico

The

has found the bodies of the tour guide and the two Jesuit priests murdered last Monday in a remote town in the Sierra

The governor of the state,

has confirmed the news in a brief statement, two days after a hitman,

known as

committed the triple homicide and took the bodies away in a van.

The authorities have offered a

to anyone who offers information on the whereabouts of the main suspect.

The

has sent more than 250 soldiers to the municipality of

to comb the area.

This mountainous region, sparsely inhabited and located in the heart of the Tarahumara indigenous territory, on the border with the states of

and

is one of the usual routes used by criminal gangs to traffic drugs and migrants.

Priests

79, and

80, worked for several decades in this place ravaged by violence and poverty, but

crossed their path.

According to witnesses, among whom was a third priest,

on June 20,

a local guide with more than 40 years of experience, entered the

followed by a man. armed.

The religious Campos and Mora tried to help him, but suffered the same fate: they were

and their bodies were

Despite the threats, Reyes has identified

as the only one responsible for the events and even assures that

The authorities have released the images of the suspect convinced that "citizen participation is vital to achieve his prompt location," as stated by the

According to the information provided by the Prosecutor's Office,

is the leader of a cell of the

associated in turn with the

in Chihuahua.

His name became known at the end of 2018 for being the main suspect in the murder of

an American professor who was murdered after being

They also believe that it could be linked to the kidnapping and murder of activist Cruz Soto, a member of the

A priest blesses the photos of the murdered. Fernando LlanoAP

His long list of crimes has caused Chihuahua to offer the highest reward in its history in exchange for clues to his whereabouts.

In addition to the triple homicide, last Monday the disappearance of 4 people in

including a woman and a minor, but the Prosecutor's Office continues without linking the two crimes due to lack of evidence.

Prosecutor Fierro has assured: "We are using all the resources to clarify the facts" and "we are not going to give up in the fight against impunity."

The murder has especially hit the 1,000 inhabitants of Cerocahui, where the two priests "carried out important social and pastoral work that, among other lines, includes strengthening the culture of the

in all its dimensions", as has been assured. the

According to the

at least 30 priests have been murdered in Mexico in the last decade.

From the

Vatican

has expressed his "pain and dismay" at the events, "I approach the Catholic community affected by this tragedy with affection and prayer. Once again I repeat that violence does not solve problems, but rather increases useless suffering.

After having registered the two most violent years in its history, with 34,688 and 34,554 homicides in 2019 and 2020, Mexico is on track to register a new record in 2022:

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