Vigilante Leader Murdered in Southern Mexico

MEXICO CITY – The leader of the vigilante group in Xaltianguis, a town in the southern Mexican state of Guerrero, was murdered over the weekend, officials said.

Miguel Angel Jimenez was killed on Saturday near Xaltianguis, located in a rural area outside the Pacific resort city of Acapulco, Guerrero Government Secretary David Cienfuegos said.

Leaders of the UPOEG community self-defense group confirmed the murder, Cienfuegos said.

Jimenez’s body was found inside a taxi, media reports said.

Acapulco and its surrounding area have been plagued by a wave of drug-related violence in recent years, with 4,750 murders reported in the past three years.