Monterrey, Mexico – The decapitated bodies of three police officers and one civilian were found early Wednesday dumped in an empty lot in the beach city of Rosarito, about 15 miles (25 kilometers) south of the Mexico-California border, authorities said.
The bodies of Rosarito police officers Ismael Arellano, Jesus Hernandez and Benjamin Ventura, and a civilian who has not been identified, were discovered about 7 a.m. local time (1200 GMT) wrapped in blankets tied with tape, police said.
Police said the officers disappeared late Tuesday after responding to a report of a possible kidnapping in the Huahauatay neighborhood.
A witness told police about 100 men, some wearing uniforms resembling those of Mexico’s Federal Agency of Investigation, or AFI, were at the scene of the alleged kidnapping when the officers showed up, said a spokesman with the attorney general’s office in the state of Baja California, where Rosarito is located. The person asked not to be identified because he is not allowed to publicly discuss the investigation.
Police located the four heads mid-Wednesday in the border city of Tijuana, across from San Diego, the spokesman said.
