Mexican mayor, three others found dead in vehicle

A mayor in Mexico’s central San Luis Potosi state, who was a member of the ruling Morena party, was shot dead on Sunday along with three other people, local authorities said.

Jesus Eduardo Franco, mayor of Tancanhuitz municipality, and the three other victims were all found dead inside a vehicle, according to the state prosecutor’s office.

“We deeply regret the death of our colleague Eduardo Franco, municipal president of Tancanhuitz,” Morena party president Rita Rodriguez wrote on X.

“We ask authorities to reach the ultimate consequences and find those responsible,” she added.

Dozens of local officials have been targeted in organized crime-related violence that has plagued Mexico in recent years.

Local media reported last month that Alejandro Arcos, a mayor in southern Guerrero state, was decapitated less than a week after taking office and his head placed on top of a pickup truck.

More than 450,000 people have been murdered, and thousands have gone missing since the Mexican government deployed the army to combat drug trafficking in 2006, according to official figures.