Mourners Hail Two Victims Killed by Mexican Hitmen

(NEWSER) - The bodies of 11 men and a woman were found by the side of a remote highway in Mexico's Michoacan state yesterday, Reuters reports. The victims had been tortured before being executed, police said. Officials believe the killings are linked to an ongoing feud for control of the state between the Gulf drug cartel and a group of smugglers known as "the Family." Four bodies were found in the same place last week. More»

But leaves out crucial detail that could upset evangelicals

(NEWSER) - In an effort to win over Florida's wealth of Hispanic voters, Mitt Romney trotted out a little-mentioned piece of family history more than once this week. "My dad was born in Mexico," he often said, expressing sympathy for immigrants. "I wish I could claim that I'm Hispanic, and that would help me in the Latino community," he told Fox News yesterday. But he's not—his parents were born to Americans living in Mexico—but Romney said he was "very proud" of his father's story. More»

Youngest victim just 2 as crisis that's claimed 35K continues

(NEWSER) - The body of 4-year-old girl who had been shot in the chest was discovered yesterday, the fifth child killed in less than a week as drug violence rages on in Acapulco. The girl was found in a car next to a woman who’d been shot several times; police didn’t offer a motive, notes the AP . The killing follows the deaths of boys ages 2 and 6, who were killed at their home along with an elderly woman who tried to shield them after gunmen opened fire. More»

City has seen 8 deaths per day this year

(NEWSER) - The number is a hefty one even for the crime-ridden town of Ciudad Juarez: 53 dead in one of the deadliest 72-hour periods the Mexican city has recently seen. Police tell CNN that 14 were killed on Thursday; 20 on Friday; and 19 on Saturday, including a police officer shot 10 times after giving a man a driving ticket. Three other police officers were killed in the violence. A police rep says Ciudad Juarez has averaged 8 homicides per day in the first 40 days of this year. Meanwhile, 13 taxi drivers were reported killed in the resort town of Acapulco. More»

Mexicans live in fear of grotesque killings

(NEWSER) - Mexico kicked off 2010 with a grim record: On Saturday the violence-plagued country tallied 69 murders in a single day. As drug cartels stepped up retaliation against the government's war on trafficking, Saturday's count included 26 murders in the border city of Ciudad Juarez and 13 in Mexico City. Murders are also becoming increasingly grotesque: Last week one victim's face was peeled off and sewn to a soccer ball, and yesterday the remains of a slain police officer were found in two separate ice chests. More»