Two bodies, one of them a teenager, have been discovered near the roadside in connection with suspects involved in the murder of a mayor who was actively fighting drug cartels. The mayor, Carlos Manzo, aged 40 and from Uruapan, was fatally shot in a bustling central square during Day of the Dead festivities. Shortly after, 17-year-old Miguel Angel Ubaldo Vidales was identified and subsequently killed by law enforcement, with an ongoing investigation into the incident.
Manzo had been requesting additional support from the Mexican central government to combat drug-related crimes, while Ubaldo Vidales was found to have ties to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. The assailant responsible for the mayor’s death, who fired six shots, had been missing from his residence for about a week.
The Governor, Alfedo Ramirez Bedolla, confirmed that the two individuals found dead on the road from Uruapan to Paracho near Capacuaro were associates of the perpetrator who murdered the mayor. Ramirez Bedolla stated that two more individuals were involved in the assassination, and their bodies were discovered in Capácuaro. He expressed concern over the recruitment of teenagers by cartels in Michoacan, where crime rates have surged recently.
Despite having eight private bodyguards and 14 police officers protecting him, the mayor was attacked and killed. Investigations are ongoing to determine why Ubaldo Vidales was killed after being detained by the police, with a bullet being fired at him. Authorities are also looking into the circumstances surrounding the death of the killer after being apprehended.
Manzo’s widow, Grecia Quiroz, was sworn in as the new mayor by the State Congress and pledged to continue her late husband’s work. Quiroz emphasized that although Carlos Manzo was killed, his legacy and impact will persist.