Mexico City.- The Veracruz State Attorney General’s Office (FGE) confirmed on Friday that Mexican journalist Roxana Ramírez, who was kidnapped on June 2, was murdered and her remains were abandoned on a ranch in southern Veracruz (eastern Mexico), the state where she practiced her profession.
“It was established that the expert reports concluded the identification process and scientifically confirmed that the remains located during the proceedings correspond to the journalist,” the office reported in a press release.
The State Prosecutor’s Office also confirmed the arrest of eight people related to the kidnapping and homicide of the communicator, who owned the web news portal Pulso Informativo Nanchiteco.
Among those detained are Javier Iván ‘N,’ alias Delta 1; José del Carmen ‘N,’ alias Delta 7; and Luis Arturo ‘N,’ alias Delta 11 or El Pelón, who were allegedly responsible for abducting the journalist.
In addition, Karen Monserrat ‘N,’ alias La Hiena, was also arrested and is accused of being an accomplice in the murder.
The arrest of Julio César ‘N,’ Juan Carlos ‘N,’ and Ismael ‘N’ was also reported; at the time of the events, they were working as municipal police officers in Ixhuatlán del Sureste and allegedly provided resources, food, and logistical support for the criminal group’s operations.
The case caused a stir as the kidnapping was videotaped and disseminated on social media.
The clip showed at least two armed and hooded men breaking down the main door of the victim’s home, located in the municipality of Nanchital, in southern Veracruz.
As they entered, they pointed their weapons at the occupants of the house; one man tried to calm them, but they subdued the occupants once inside and cut the recording.
The seriousness of the case led the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) to take over the investigation, which was initially in the hands of the Veracruz Prosecutor’s Office and resulted in the arrest of eight people.
During the nearly four weeks the communicator was missing, leaks circulated about her personal life, including alleged previous arrests and the murder of a supposed ex-partner linked to organized crime.
With Roxana’s murder, three journalists have been killed in Veracruz so far in 2026.
In January, crime beat reporter Carlos Castro was murdered in Poza Rica after returning to visit his family following self-exile due to threats; on June 11, Luis Ángel López, a reporter for the newspaper Vanguardia, was killed in the same municipality despite having protective measures.
Considered by civil organizations as one of the most dangerous places to practice journalism, Veracruz has accumulated 31 murders of journalists and four disappearances between 2005 and 2024, according to the State Commission for the Attention and Protection of Journalists.
These crimes have occurred in a context marked by the violence of criminal groups and the dispute between criminal organizations in that state.
