Prosecutors in the northern border state of Sonora said Tuesday that tattoos on a body found in the border town of San Luis Río Colorado matched those of journalist Juan Arjón López. San Luis is across the border from Yuma, Arizona and has long been known for its medical and dental offices serving Americans. But the region has been hit by drug cartel violence in recent years. In March, volunteer searchers found 11 bodies in hidden burial pits in a stretch of desert near a landfill in San Luis. In early August, a journalist was among four people killed inside a beer shop in the central Mexican state of Guanajuato. Authorities said it is unknown if this attack is related to the journalist’s work, his role as a representative of local businesses in planning an upcoming exhibition or something else. While organized crime is often involved in murders of journalists, small-town officials or politicians with political or criminal motives are also often suspects. Journalists who run small news agencies inside Mexico are easy targets. Mexico is considered the most dangerous country for journalists outside of a war zone.
