Mexico: At least 12 decapitated bodies found near Guadalajara

Mexican police found at least a dozen decapitated and dismembered bodies near Guadalajara on Wednesday in the latest incident in a rash of drug-related violence, according to Reuters.

A policeman said the bodies, which were stuffed in two abandoned vehicles, were so badly mutilated that their gender could not be determined. A note left near the bodies was signed by the Zetas cartel, led by former soldiers from the Mexican army, according to Reuters.

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The Associated Press reported the number of bodies as 15, revealing that the area the vans were left in was an area frequented by tourists.

Jalisco state prosecutor Tomas Coronado said 15 severed heads were found, though there could be more bodies in the vans.

The AP said the area has seen violence emerging from turf battles between the Jalisco New Generation gang, allied with the Sinaloa cartel, and the Zetas drug cartel.

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Coronado said the dismembered bodies might be connected to the abduction of 12 people who later escaped on Tuesday. A woman who was watching the abducted people said the kidnappings were retaliation for the killing of 23 people whose bodies were found in Nuevo Laredo on Friday, hanging from a bridge and dumped near city hall.

In recent weeks, Mexico has seen dozens of gruesome killings linked to drug cartels, including the deaths of journalists who worked on drug related stories.

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