Parents sent sick cartel vid of 6 teens led to deaths by gangster in skull mask

30 September 2023 , 15:31

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The parents of six teenagers slaughtered by a cartel in Mexico were sent sick and disturbing footage of the teens being led to their deaths by a gangster in a skull mask.

An armed cartel member wearing a mask printed with a skull can be seen leading the teens, aged 14 to 18, in the video. The youngsters are dressed with black hoods covering their faces and obscuring their view with their hands tied behind their backs. Gangsters carrying guns can be seen following the grim procession barefoot as they make their way up a mountainside in Zacatecas, Central Mexico. Mexican authorities said of the seven teenagers in the video, six were killed and a seventh was severely beaten, but survived.

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A skull-masked cartel member led six teens to their deaths, including (clockwise from top right) Gumaro Santacruz Carrillo, Óscar Ernesto Rojas Alvarado, Jesús Manuel Rodríguez and Diego Rodríguez Vidales

Part of the distressing video was shown on local news channel Milenio TV. In the footage, a type of Mexican folk song which details mobster exploits called a 'narcocorrido' can be heard. The lyrics chillingly proclaim: "Death is in their eyes".

The teenagers were later identified as friends and cousins by the Mexican edition of the Spanish language newspaper El Pais. They had been enjoying a family weekend at a ranch near the town of Malpaso. The six teens killed were named as Jesús Manuel Rodríguez, Óscar Ernesto Rojas Alvarado, Diego Rodríguez Vidales, Gumaro Santacruz Carrillo, Jorge René Ocón Acevedo, and Héctor Alejandro Saucedo Acevedo.

However, terror quickly unfolded as several vehicles loaded with armed men turned up. They allegedly broke into the home at 4am on Sunday and kidnapped the boys. Their bodies were discovered days later in an area so remote it didn't even have roads leading to it. The only teen to survive remains in hospital.

Baby boy has spent his life in hospital as doctors are 'scared' to discharge him

Sergio Yobani Acevedo remains unconscious in hospital and, according to Milenio TV, has been unable to speak to investigators about what happened. Parents of the slain teens released the footage to the media in a bid to counter claims from Mexican officials who deny the boys were kidnapped.

The video which showed some of the teens' last moments was sent to their parents (Twitter)

Chilling footage showed the teenagers being walked with black hoods over their heads to their deaths (Twitter)

The reason for the kidnappings and murders has not yet been made clear. But the brutal killings have shaken the country, with many now believing ruthless cartels are in charge of the area. A wave of violence has swept through Zacatecas, with 6,500 members of the Mexican Army, National Guard and Federal Secretary of Public Security stationed in the state. At least six cartels are said to be fighting for control of the area.

The teens had their heads covered with black hoods as they were marched into the remote wildnerness (Twitter)

Sergio Yobani Acevedo survived but was brutally beaten and remains in hospital unconscious (Facebook)

This includes Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), the Sinaloa Cartel and the Northeast Cartel. Smaller criminal groups who take orders from the gangs are said to be operating in the area as well. Miguel Moctezume, of the Global Security Programme at the University of Oxford, said: "These are spaces of emptiness, there's a lack of the rule of law, a lack of services... in these spaces, the [criminal] groups come to hide... And they don't just live there: They place themselves in these populations as providers, administrators of justice. They sponsor things."

Héctor Alejandro Saucedo Acevedo was also killed (Facebook)

Jorge René Ocón Acevedo was led to his deaths among the six (Facebook)

Despite cartels being a part of everyday life in Mexico, many feel these killings are a sign that things are going beyond a level the government can control. Grupo Formula Journalist Oscar Belman said: "18 years into the 'War against Narcos', we are a country that has on average 85-93 painful murders a day."

He gave three theories behind the teens' horrific massacre. He said cartel members could be trying to take revenge on rivals and mistakenly targeted the teens, it could have been a new form of group hostage-taking in a bid to extort money from families, or just a new way to spread fear.