Mexican mayor beheaded after only six days in office

The victim of this brutal murder was Alejandro Arcos, 43, who had assumed the position of mayor of Chilpancingo, the second largest city in the state of Guerrero, six days earlier. Arcos was focused on dealing with the damage caused by Hurricane John, which left severe flooding in the area.

This Sunday, October 6, a chilling murder shook Mexico. Alejandro Arcos Catalán, mayor of Chilpancingo, capital of the state of Guerrero, was decapitated, six days after taking office.

Authorities are investigating the atrocious event in the municipality of Chilpancingo, Guerrero.

Just six days after taking office as mayor of Chilpancingo, capital of the state of Guerrero, Alejandro Arcos Catalán was brutally murdered this Sunday, according to the State Attorney General’s Office, which revealed chilling details about the crime in a statement: witnesses said that Alejandro Arcos Catalán was found decapitated in Chilpancingo, with his head macabrely displayed on the roof of a vehicle on the Tixtla bypass.

Several local media also reported on the decapitation, although official confirmation has not yet been received.

President of Mexico Claudia Sheinbaum, said that despite the crime of Arcos, which occurred after the murder on October 3 of its municipal secretary Francisco Tapia, the city of Chilpancingo “does not appear among the municipalities with the highest number of homicides.”

Hours before his death, Arcos posted photos on his social networks of a visit to communities affected by the recent passage of a hurricane.

In a message posted on Facebook, Arcos’ family paid tribute to him, highlighting “his unwavering commitment to peace, service and the well-being of his community.”

The Institutional Revolutionary Party, PRI, to which the mayor belonged, called the act a “cowardly crime” and demanded justice. “Enough of violence and impunity! The people of Guerrero do not deserve to live in fear,” they said on X’s official account.

The party’s president, Alejandro Moreno, expressed his rejection of the murder and recalled that “only three days ago the secretary of this City Council, Francisco Tapia, was murdered. They had been in office for less than a week. Young and honest officials who sought progress for their community.”

For her part, the governor of Guerrero, Evelyn Salgado, demanded justice after the brutal murder of Arcos. “His loss brings mourning to all of Guerrero society and fills us with indignation,” X wrote on his social network.

It should be noted that Guerrero is among the Mexican states hardest hit by drug cartel violence, thanks to its strategic position along the Pacific coast.

This region, marked by organized crime, sees politicians, especially at the local level, become targets of violence, which is intrinsically linked to corruption and lucrative drug trafficking.

Last year, 1,890 murders were recorded in the state, home to the popular resort of Acapulco, once a favorite destination for celebrities now plagued by crime.

Confronting cartel violence is one of the biggest challenges facing Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, the first female president in Mexico’s history.

The former mayor of the Mexican capital, who took office on October 1, pledged to maintain the “hugs, not bullets” strategy of her predecessor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who chose to use social policy to attack crime at its roots.

“We are going to work in some states in particular with greater presence, intelligence, investigation, in coordination with the governors,” said Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who will present her security plan on Tuesday.

More than 450,000 people have been killed and some 100,000 have disappeared in Mexico since the government deployed the army to combat drug trafficking in 2006.

Writing: Oscar El Blue

Alejandro Arcos Catalán, mayor of Chilpancingo, capital of the state of Guerrero, was decapitated, 6 days after taking office