Mexican mayor assassinated in a reported beheading, days after taking office

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Mexican mayor Alejandro Arcos of Chilpancingo, the capital of Guerrero state, was assassinated on Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, six days after he was sworn into office.

MEXICO CITY - The mayor of a violence-plagued state in southern Mexico was buried on Monday. He was in office for six days before his assassination.

Alejandro Arcos was sworn in on Sept. 30 as the mayor of Chilpancingo, the capitol of Guerrero where Acapulco is located.

Photos of the crime scene circulated on social media, showed what was said to be Arcos’ severed head left on the roof of a pickup truck in Chilpancingo on Sunday.

Investigators and forensic personnel work at the crime scene where remains of Chilpancingo Mayor Alejandro Arcos of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) were found in Chilpancingo, Guerrero state on October 6, 2024. The mayor of the southern M ((Photo by Jesus GUERRERO / AFP) (Photo by JESUS GUERRERO/AFP via Getty Images))

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Authorities have not confirmed the authenticity of the images, but the Associated Press reported that at his funeral, there were signs his head had been reattached by forensic examiners or mortuary staff.

Chilpancingo has long been the scene of violent and bloody turf battles between two drug gangs, which have led to a string of gruesome killings.

Last year, one of the drug gangs hijacked a government armored car during a demonstration and took state police and National Guard hostage to win the release of two gang leaders arrested for drugs and weapons possession.

Shortly before Arcos' assassination, aware of the risks associated with his new position, the mayor said in an interview that he wanted extra protection. It's not clear if he had made a formal request for increased security.

Alejandro Moreno, the national leader of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, on Monday honored Arcos as a man with principles, honest and committed to the well-being of his people.

Moreno vowed that Arcos’ killing would not go unpunished and said that his legacy would fuel the "fight for a more just Guerrero."

The late mayor's death came a few days after a newly installed secretary of the city council had also been murdered.

"They had been in office less than a week," Moreno wrote on his social media accounts. "They were young and honest public servants who were seeking progress for their community."