Alejandro Gallegos León was reported missing on January 24, 2025, and his body was found with several gunshot wounds the next day in the town of Cárdenas.
Gallegos, 51, was the editor of Facebook-based news outlet La Voz del Pueblo and also worked as a lawyer, an evangelical pastor, and a teacher at Alfa y Omega Presbyterian University in the state of Tabasco.
La Voz del Pueblo published news stories and videos about regional politics in Tabasco with a neutral tone, according to CPJ’s review of its most recent press events coverage. Despite recent reports of a spike in criminal violence in the state, the website did not extensively cover that topic.
CPJ was unable to confirm whether Gallegos had received threats and was unable to find contact information for his family. CPJ’s messages to La Voz del Pueblo via Facebook and calls to the Alfa y Omega University for comment were not answered.
The Tabasco state prosecutor’s office (FGE) said in a January 25 statement on the social media platform X that it opened an investigation without providing further details. CPJ’s several phone calls to the FGE to request comment were not answered.
The Mechanism for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Journalists, a federal government agency that provides protective measures to the press, said in a January 25 statement on X that Gallegos was not incorporated in a federally sanctioned protection program.
On January 29, Tabasco governor Javier May said on X that a suspect in the case had been arrested without providing further details. CPJ’s several calls to the governor’s office were unanswered.