CHILPANCINGO, Gro. (apro).- On the sixth day of being in office, this afternoon the mayor of Chilpancingo, Alejandro Arcos Catalán, was murdered and beheaded, confirmed the State Attorney General’s Office (FGE).
His body was abandoned in a vehicle in the Villas del Roble neighborhood, located east of the city.
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Arcos Catalán barely protested as mayor of the capital of Guerrero on September 30, the day all of the state’s town halls were renovated.
On Thursday, October 3, they murdered one of his closest collaborators, the general secretary of the Chilpancingo City Council, Francisco Gonzalo Tapia Gutiérrez, on a street in the center of the city, and a few days after he took protest, on September 28, they murdered who was known to be his Secretary of Public Security, Ulises Hernández Martínez.
Prosecutor confirms murder
At 6:43 p.m. there was a report of a decapitated body in the Villas del Roble neighborhood – which they had abandoned before – and a photograph of a severed human head on the cabin of a truck began to circulate, which bore a resemblance. with the mayor, but the silence of the local authorities encouraged speculation and, at the same time, exposed that something had happened.
It took at least two and a half hours for his murder to be confirmed by the FGE.
One of the first to report the murder, but from the center of the country, was the national president of the PRI, Alejandro Moreno Cárdenas, who wrote the following on his profile on the social network X: “They have murdered our mayor of Chilpancingo, Alejandro Arcos, and just three days ago the secretary of this same City Council, Francisco Tapia. They had been in office for less than a week. Young and honest officials who sought progress for their community. Our condolences and solidarity to their families. Given the ungovernable situation in Guerrero, we will be asking the FGR to investigate both murders.”
They have murdered our mayor of Chilpancingo, Alejandro Arcos, and just three days ago the secretary of this same City Council, Francisco Tapia.
They had been in office for less than a week. Young and honest officials who sought progress for their community.
Our condolences… — Alejandro Moreno (@alitomorenoc) October 7, 2024
Arcos Catalán achieved the position when he was nominated by the PRI-PRD coalition. His close opponent, in fact with a minimal margin, was the Morena candidate, Jorge Salgado Leyva Parra. The municipal administration that closed a few days ago was Morenista.
Shortly after the PRI leader’s post, a statement from the FGE was circulated, where it confirmed the murder and explained the beginning of a file for the crime of qualified homicide, but without giving details of how the events occurred.
Operations intensify in Chilpancingo
After there was official confirmation, Governor Evelyn Salgado Pineda posted on social networks – the means by which she most often provides information – that the society of Guerrero was mourning the murder of the mayor.
“I have instructed the Secretary of Public Security of the State to intensify surveillance and social proximity operations in various parts of Chilpancingo. To the people of Guerrero, I reiterate the commitment of my government to work in coordination with the authorities of the different levels of government to guarantee peace and governability in Guerrero, always seeking to advance towards the pacification of our state,” is part of his statement.
I strongly condemn the murder of the Municipal President of Chilpancingo, Alejandro Arcos Catalán, a fact that the State Attorney General’s Office has confirmed, beginning the pertinent investigations to clarify it and to bring those responsible to justice… — Evelyn Salgado Pineda (@ EvelynSalgadoP) October 7, 2024
One of the last official activities that the mayor had this Sunday was a visit and a tour of the Plan de Ayala and Yerbabuena neighborhoods, where their inhabitants were affected by the rains of Hurricane John.
On their official networks there is information and images of the activity that, at the time of posting, would have occurred in the morning.
“Together with my team we visited the Plan de Ayala and Yerbabuena neighborhoods to make sure that the families are receiving the support they need. Our priority is to protect those who live in vulnerable areas and ensure that the necessary measures are taken,” is part of the information they released.
Officially, up to this moment, there are no details of what happened to the mayor after his commitments or institutional activities because, afterwards, they only spread other activities without his presence and in the afternoon speculations about the crime began.
The place where the truck with his body was abandoned is located to the east of the city, towards what is known as the Tixtla bypass. The severed head was abandoned in the cabin of a white truck and the rest of his body in the passenger seat, covered with a blanket. According to police reports, they found the mayor’s official identification at the scene.
