Four days after they disappeared on the way to a gig, authorities found the bodies of five members of the Mexican regional band Grupo Fugitivo Thursday (May 29) near the Texas-Mexico border.
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According to Tamaulipas state prosecutors, the five men were kidnapped at about 10 p.m. Sunday (May 25) while en route to a gig in an SUV. Authorities recovered their bodies on the outskirts of Reynosa, a border city plagued by drug cartel violence.
The Associated Press reports that authorities have arrested nine people with suspected ties to the Gulf Cartel, based in Matamoros, Tamaulipas.
The five victims—Francisco Javier Vázquez, Nemesio Antonio Durán, band manager Livan Solís de la Rosa, Víctor Manuel Garza, and José Francisco Morales—were between the ages of 20 and 40.
Grupo Fugitivo often played at local parties and dances. A post made to the band’s Facebook page Sunday (May 25) indicated they were headed to McAllen, Texas. Surveillance footage confirms the men arrived at a palapa bar in the Rancho Grande neighborhood of Reynoso. However, no footage shows them leaving the establishment. Later, family members reported receiving ransom demands, according to the BBC.
Authorities also seized nine firearms and two vehicles during the arrest.
Was Grupo Fugitivo Targeted For Their Music?
Multiple outlets report that Grupo Fugitivo played Mexican regional music, which includes cumbia and corridos. Oftentimes, the lyrics reference drug cartel leaders, characterizing them as “Robin Hood-type figures.”
Police are still searching for a motive. It was not immediately clear if the suspects targeted the men because of their music, or if they simply got caught in the crossfire of cartel violence.
The musicians’ murders bears resemblance to a November 2018 incident. Two members of the band Nortenos del Rio Bravo were kidnapped and later found dead in a pickup truck south of Reynosa.
According to the Spanish-language paper El Pais, the men’s relatives believe that the killings were premeditated. They suspect the killers lured Grupo Fugitivo to their deaths under the pretext of a concert.
In fact, several outlets have reported one surviving member. Sources say that Carlos González, the band’s lead singer, arrived late to the gig, finding only a vacant lot. Unable to contact his bandmates, he headed home—likely saving his life.
Featured image courtesy of Facebook
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