Authorities said six dead bodies were discovered Wednesday in Mexico, where seven teenagers were kidnapped days earlier.
A series of kidnappings for ransom and cartel-related crimes have marred Mexico. According to officials, one of the missing teens was discovered alive but injured in the municipality of Villanueva in the northern state of Zacatecas.
The bodies were transferred to Zacatecas, the state capital, to be identified, according to a statement from the state prosecutor's office.
They were discovered in the same region where seven kids, aged 14 to 18, were reported abducted from a hacienda early Sunday following a party by suspected criminals.
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Two suspects were apprehended in Villanueva, and he stated that "there is a high probability that they are linked" to the incident.
According to the prosecution's statement, the survivor was hospitalized with bruises and suspected fractures to the head and nose.
It was also stated that relatives were obtaining psychological care. While the cause for the kidnappings remained unknown, the strong Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation gangs are vying for control of lucrative drug trafficking routes to the United States via Zacatecas.
Prosecutors previously stated that the kidnapping was not linked to forced recruitment by criminal organizations.
In August, five young Mexicans aged 19 to 22 were allegedly kidnapped, tortured, and killed by drug cartel hitmen in the western state of Jalisco.
Murders and kidnappings are routine in Mexico, but the disappearance of five friends while they were socializing stunned the country.
The outpouring of emotion was largely fueled by ghastly leaked photographs of the guys kneeling, gagged, and with their hands tied.
One video showed a friend attacking another, probably because the kidnappers forced them to. Although none of the five have been located, investigators have unearthed a number of human remains during their hunt.