Six Bodies with Hearts Cut Out Discovered in Mexican Cave

Updated: Tuesday, 08 Jun 2010, 9:42 AM EDT
Published : Tuesday, 08 Jun 2010, 9:40 AM EDT

By Hannah Strange

(The Times of London) - Mexican police discovered six bodies with their hearts cut out, apparently victims of drug violence between rival cartels, in an underground cave on the outskirts of Cancun, The (London) Times reported Tuesday.

The bodies of four men and two women bore signs of torture and in two cases the killers carved the letter "Z" into them. The mark was in the past been found on victims of the notorious drug gang the Zetas, suggesting that the killings were possibly a settling of scores in the group’s war with its rivals.

All six victims "had on the left side of the chest a hole through which their hearts had been removed," said Ivonne Cardena of the state attorney general’s office, adding that the bodies were also badly beaten and presented stab wounds.

The bodies were discovered Sunday after a resident in the Cancun suburb of El Roble alerted police to the presence of a bloody mattress outside a small natural cavern beside a road.

Arriving at the scene, police found two bodies beneath the mattress and called in firefighters to help to excavate the deep pit, where after an operation lasting several hours the remaining bodies were discovered.

All were bound at their hands and feet, two with handcuffs and the rest with cord. Forensic investigators said the removal of the victims’ hearts took place after their deaths, which occurred at least 24 hours earlier.

Francisco Alor Quezada, the attorney general for the state of Quintana Roo, said preliminary forensic studies found traces of cocaine and amphetamines in the victims’ systems. Monday, one of the victims -- who Cardena described as a "minor narco" -- was identified as Francisco Silva Ruiz.

The discovery was the latest in a series of killings as cartels continued fighting for domination of the Caribbean port, a key gateway for the trafficking of drugs from South America through Mexico on their way to the U.S. and Europe.

From: http://www.myfoxny.com/dpps/news/six-bodies-with-hearts-cut-out-discovered-in-mexican-cave-dpgonc-20100608-fc_7974346