49 Headless Bodies Found On Mexican Highway

Residents living near Monterrey in Mexico awoke to a grisly sight this morning. Forty-nine headless, handless and feetless bodies were stacked up near a busy highway, the latest victims in Mexico’s drug war. Authorities are hoping tattoos will help them indentify at least some of the deceased, but without dental records or fingerprints, it’ll be an uphill battle.

According to Reuters, police aren’t sure whether the victims are migrant workers or members of a rival drug cartel, but they have stressed the fact that they’re not just random citizens being attacked. It’s suspected more than fifty thousand people have lost their lives in the last six years since President Calderon decided to tackle drug smuggling head-on, and weeks away from his reelection bid, there’s little tangible progress than can be pointed to.

The forty-nine victims found near Monterrey are just the latest in a string of recent mass homicides involving bodies dumped near highways. 18 were recently discovered in Gudalajara and twenty-three were found hanging off bridges in Nuevo Laredo. It’s unclear whether this new wave of attacks will prompt a change in policy from the Mexican Government, but one would imagine whoever is elected to be Mexico’s next President would speak on the matter almost immediately after taking office.

Officials say the drug cartel Zetas has claimed responsibility for the forty-nine victims discovered this morning. They’re currently involved in several territory battles; so, it’s more than likely this attack was to serve as a message for others involved in the narcotics trade.