Authorities announced on Thursday the discovery of five murdered musicians from the regional Mexican band Grupo Fugitivo. The group had been unaccounted for since May 25 after being abducted near Reynosa, a city plagued by violence on the Texas border.
The musicians went missing while traveling in an SUV to a scheduled performance at approximately 10 p.m. that evening. Their remains were subsequently located on the outskirts of Reynosa. Authorities have apprehended nine individuals believed to be connected to a faction of the Gulf Cartel, which maintains a significant presence in the region.
Although officials have not verified the motive behind the killings, some media sources have reported that the bodies were burned. Grupo Fugitivo specialized in regional Mexican music, a genre encompassing cumbia and corridos. While certain artists may glorify drug cartels in their lyrics, it is still uncertain whether Grupo Fugitivo performed such songs or were merely victims of the persistent cartel violence in Reynosa.
The most recent communication from the musicians was a message directed to their relatives, indicating that they were on their way to the event. Following that, there was a period of silence.The news regarding their disappearance sent shockwaves through the community. The families of the victims, along with concerned citizens, took to the streets to express their outrage. On Wednesday, protesters obstructed the international bridge connecting Reynosa and Pharr, Texas, and subsequently convened at a cathedral to engage in prayer.
Tamaulipas, the state in which Reynosa is situated, has been grappling with violence associated with cartels, including drug trafficking, human smuggling, and fuel theft. This tragic incident resonates with a case from 2018, in which members of “Los Norteños de Río Bravo” were similarly abducted and killed.
