North Carolina man’s body found in Mexican canyons

The governor of a northern Mexico state where a North Carolina man was slain last month said the alleged perpetrator will pay dearly for the crime.

Chihuahua state Gov. Javier Corral said Sunday that Patrick Braxton-Andrew is believed to have been killed by a drug trafficker named Jose Noriel Portillo Gil, alias “The Crooked,” while walking in the Copper Canyons. Corral said federal police are on the hunt for Portillo Gil, who is part of the Sinaloa Cartel.

Corral said the 34-year-old Spanish teacher’s body had been buried, and then exhumed and left in the open by his assailants. More than a hundred police and volunteers combed the area for clues after Braxton-Andrew disappeared on Oct. 28.

Corral said sharing the news with the family broke his heart.