4 People Found Dead in Chihuahua; Their Foreheads Carved with the Word 'Rat' Using a Knife

"Morogris" for Borderland Beat

The victims were dumped on the middle of the road near Nuevo Casas Grande, a town believed to be under the control of La Linea cartel, a criminal group that was once part of the old Juárez Cartel

This morning, on a highway just outside Nuevo Casas Grande, Chihuahua, the State Attorney General's Office (FGE) of the Northwest Zone confirmed the discovery of two couples who were executed. The men had the word "rat" engraved on their foreheads with a knife.

It should be noted that on Wednesday night, armed men abducted two men from an OXXO store on the main Benito Juárez avenue, situated in front of the Fire Station, just hours before the discovery of the executed couples.

The execution of these individuals, marked with the word "rat" on their foreheads, is believed to be linked to a series of armed robberies targeting stores in popular neighborhoods and commercial establishments in the area.

Authorities have officially identified two of the victims as Yadira Elizabeth García Calderón, aged 48, and her nephew Cristhian Eduardo Villanueva Calderón, aged 21. Their identities were confirmed by relatives earlier today.

Local reporters said that the woman was an individual with a crystal meth addiction and did not have a job. The nephew was reportedly involved in armed robberies. 

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The term rata translates to rat and is commonly used to describe individuals involved in theft or robbery 

Background

Nuevo Casas Grandes is located approximately 100 miles southwest of Ciudad Juárez and about 50 miles south of the Mexico-New Mexico border.

The town garnered national and international headlines in May of last year when cartel members killed and mutilated an alleged rapist, displaying his naked body on an entrance arch over a highway.

In November of the previous year, Nuevo Casas Grandes mayor Cynthia Marina Delgado Ceballos was apprehended on corruption charges linked to real estate. The subsequent month, municipal official Pedro Pablo Lara Chávez was killed. It was reported that La Linea, the main group in the area, was responsible for the killing.

Nuevo Casas Grandes is among the 11 municipalities in the state of Chihuahua lacking a municipal police force. This absence stems from the overall failure of the force to meet various competency and trust assessments conducted by the state.

Currently, the town's police force is undergoing a reform stage, with security efforts being overseen by the state police.

Main sources: Diario de Juarez (1); (2); Diario de Delicias; Parada Digital; El Bordo

Background sources: El Financiero; Akro Noticias; Excelsior