8 bodies found stuffed in SUV in southern Mexico

ACAPULCO, Mexico – Authorities in the southern Mexico state of Guerrero said Monday they found the tortured, asphyxiated bodies of eight men stuffed into an SUV abandoned on the side of a highway.

Guerrero state security spokesman Roberto Alvarez said the victims were found around midnight near Chilpancingo, the state capital.

The state has been the scene of drug gang turf battles, kidnappings and extortions, and groups of bodies are often found dumped on roadsides.

The eight bodies initially appeared to be gagged; while Alvarez did not specify how they were asphyxiated, drug gangs in Mexico frequently wrap their victims’ faces and heads with packing tape, cutting off their breathing.

Alvarez said the dead men appeared to be between 25 and 35 years in age, and had “visible signs of torture.”