Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas — Authorities confirmed the murder of a Spanish woman visiting with her family at a local beach in this border state. The region where gunmen kidnapped her and her remains were later found is seeing a spike in cartel skirmishes for control.
Pilar Garrido Santamans was kidnapped by two gunmen on July 2 along a highway leading to the town of La Pesca, a small community by the Gulf of Mexico, Breitbart Texas reported. Two weeks ago, police found human remains in the rural community of Villa de Casas not far from the place of the kidnapping. State authorities carried out a series of DNA tests that confirmed that they belonged to Garrido Santamans
Through a short news release by the Tamaulipas Attorney General’s Office, authorities revealed that the family of the now deceased victim and the Spanish government were notified of the lab results.
The kidnapping and murder caused international media response and revealed once more the lack of security conditions in this border state. The region where the crime took place continues to be fought over by various drug cartels. Breitbart Texas reported on how the cartel faction known as Vieja Escuela Z or “Old School Z” is fighting with the rival faction Cartel Del Noreste over lucrative drug trafficking routes. The ongoing fighting between the two cartel factions and their allies has brought lawlessness into various areas of the state where kidnappings, extortions, and disappearances are becoming commonplace.
The Spanish visitor, her husband, and young son intended to visit the beach in La Pesca but on their drive back to Ciudad Victoria, they were intercepted by two gunmen who forced them to stop. The yet-unidentified gunmen took Garrido Santamans but left her husband and child behind. Relatives reached out to various news outlets, including Breitbart Texas, after the initial investigation proved lacking in their view. State officials remained tight-lipped about the case, only publicly speaking about the high-profile murder on few occasions. After getting intense media scrutiny for three weeks, authorities apparently stepped up efforts.
With the help of helicopters, police dogs, and search parties, authorities worked to find the remains of the Spanish victim. After traveling through the various communities between Ciudad Victoria and La Pesca, police were able to locate her remains in the town of Villa de Casas, 25 minutes away from Ciudad Victoria.
The Spanish citizens had moved to Tamaulipas with her husband three years before her murder.
Editor’s Note: Breitbart Texas traveled to the Mexican States of Tamaulipas, Coahuila, and Nuevo León to recruit citizen journalists willing to risk their lives and expose the cartels silencing their communities. The writers would face certain death at the hands of the various cartels that operate in those areas including the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas if a pseudonym were not used. Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles are published in both English and in their original Spanish. This article was written by “Francisco Morales” from Tamaulipas.
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