Mexican authorities launched an investigation after six severed human heads were discovered on August 19 along a road connecting the central states of Puebla and Tlaxcala, marking an unusual occurrence of extreme violence in an area typically considered among the country’s safest regions.
The grisly discovery was first reported by drivers at approximately 6:45 a.m. local time, when a motorist called 911 to report what appeared to be a human head on the side of the road near San Gabriel Popocatla, before a gas station. The heads, which belonged to men according to the Tlaxcala State Attorney General’s Office, were found in an apparent state of decomposition in a grassy area alongside the roadway.
Investigators and experts from the Institute of Forensic Sciences responded to the scene to conduct examinations and begin the initial investigation. The victims’ ages and places of residence have not been released, and prosecutors have not shared the exact location where the remains were discovered, noting that the location corresponds to the discovery, not the actual incident.
Local media reported that a blanket was found at the scene containing a message addressed to rival gangs and signed by a group calling itself “La Barredora,” which translates to “the sweeper.” The banner reportedly accused alleged perpetrators of carrying out violent activities in the area, with police sources indicating the note mentioned people accused of extortion and homicide in the region.
The prosecutor’s office stated that “The FGJE will continue with the relevant diligence” to clarify what happened and hold those responsible accountable. Officials emphasized they are working to determine who killed the victims and establish a motive for the killings.
Both Puebla and Tlaxcala are generally considered safer travel destinations compared to other Mexican states, with the U.S. State Department designating them Level 2 travel advisories, the second-lowest warning. Tlaxcala accounts for just 0.5 percent of the 14,769 intentional homicides recorded in Mexico from January to July, while Puebla accounts for 3.4 percent, according to official figures.
However, authorities acknowledge that due to their geographic location, both states face problems with criminal groups involved in drug trafficking, human trafficking, and fuel theft. The region is known for issues with fuel smuggling, known as “huachicoleo,” which generates billions of dollars annually for criminal organizations. In 2022, authorities in Puebla discovered a truck transporting 116 migrants of various nationalities.
The name “La Barredora” matches that of a little-known criminal group operating in the western state of Guerrero, though it remains unclear if they were behind the attack or why they would be involved in this region. The discovery represents a departure from the typical concentration of extreme violence, including decapitation, which is more common in northern states and along the Pacific coast where drug cartels operate.
This incident follows a pattern of similar discoveries across Mexico. In June, authorities found 20 bodies along a road in northwest Sinaloa state, five of them headless. Earlier this year, seven bodies were found with five decapitated and another completely dismembered, each with a message, in a car left in traffic on a main expressway. In April 2022, six men’s heads were reportedly discovered on top of a Volkswagen abandoned on a busy boulevard in southern Mexico.
The discovery occurred amid heightened tensions over cartel violence, with approximately 480,000 people having died in drug-related violence since 2006, when the government deployed federal troops against the country’s powerful drug cartels. Another 130,000 people remain missing.
The timing coincides with a major crackdown by President Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration on fentanyl trafficking. Last week, Mexico sent 26 high-ranking cartel figures to the United States in the latest major deal with the Trump administration, as American authorities increase pressure on criminal networks smuggling drugs across the border.
Messages are often left on victims’ bodies by cartels seeking to threaten their rivals or punish behavior they claim violates their rules. The practice of leaving pamphlets blaming violence on settling scores between gangs has become increasingly common in Mexico’s ongoing drug war.