Mexican mayor ‘decapitated by drug gangs’ with his head found on his car six days after taking office

Tuesday, October 08, 2024 - The mayor of a Mexican city has been ‘decapitated by drug gangs’ less than a week after taking office.

The body of Alejandro Arcos, the 43-year-old mayor of the city of Chilpancingo, was found inside his pickup truck Sunday night, October 6, while his head was propped on top of the vehicle.

His death was confirmed by the state prosecutors’ office. The state attorney general’s office said it was investigating.

Alejandro Moreno, the national leader of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, has called on the federal authorities to take charge of the investigation given Guerrero’s “ungovernability”.

Mr Moreno also revealed that Mr Arcos’s murder came just three days after the shooting of Francisco Tapia, the city government’s new secretary.

“They had been in office less than a week,” Mr Moreno said. “They were young and honest public servants who were seeking progress for their community.”

Chilpancingo has been home to violent turf battles between the Ardillos and the Tlacos, local drug gangs, for years.

The city is so violent that the Ardillos gang once organised a demonstration, hijacked an armoured government car, and took 10 police officers, hostage, after its leaders were arrested for drugs and weapons possession.

Mr Arcos’s social media posts reveal that he had spent his first few days in office overseeing disaster relief after Hurricane John caused severe flooding in Acapulco, the beach resort, and its surrounding towns.

He had also spent time meeting relief workers and residents in the hours before his death, according to photos on his Facebook account.