Bodies of Grupo Fugitivo musicians found burned in Reynosa; 9 arrested

Tamaulipas state prosecutors said the men were kidnapped by the Gulf Cartel on Sunday causing an uproar in Reynosa.

CIUDAD VICTORIA, Tamaulipas — The bodies of five missing musicians were found in Reynosa along the Texas border, authorities said on Thursday.

The musicians from the Mexican regional band Grupo Fugitivo had been reported missing since Sunday. Tamaulipas state prosecutors said the men were kidnapped around 10 p.m. on the way to a gig. Local media reported their bodies had been burned.

Nine suspects believed to be part of a faction of the Gulf Cartel have been arrested.

Their disappearance caused an uproar in Tamaulipas, a state long eclipsed by cartel warfare. Their families reported the disappearances, called on the public for support and people took to the streets in protest.

On Wednesday, protesters blocked the international bridge connecting Reynosa and Pharr, Texas, later going to a local cathedral to pray and make offerings to the disappeared.

Authorities were not immediately able to say why the men were killed. 

Mexican regional bands sometimes pay homage to leaders of drug cartels, often portrayed as Robin Hood-type figures. It was not immediately clear if the group played such songs or if the artists were simply victims of rampant cartel violence that has eclipsed the city. 

Some artists have faced death threats from cartels. In 2018, armed men kidnapped two members of the musical group “Los Norteños de Río Bravo,” whose bodies were later found on the federal highway connecting Reynosa to Río Bravo, Tamaulipas.

Reynosa is a Mexican border city adjacent to the United States and has been plagued by escalating violence since 2017 due to internal disputes among groups vying for control of drug trafficking, human smuggling and fuel theft.

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