Josué Martínez Contreras, the founder and general director of the Facebook-based news site Noticias San Martín Texmelucan, was shot dead near his residence around 8 a.m. on July 16, 2026, by unidentified motorcyclists in the town of San Martín Texmelucan, in the central Mexican state of Puebla, according to news reports and a brief statement released by the Puebla state prosecutor’s office. Reports noted that the office is investigating Martínez’s killing and that the journalist, 39, was with his 13-year-old son during the attack.
Martínez covered local news in Texmelucan, a town 45 miles east of Mexico City. He was also the founder of CRE-ARTE, an artistic and charitable foundation, had recently obtained a law degree, and worked as a Physical Education teacher at a local public school.
On November 20, 2025, Martínez posted a short video on his personal Facebook page, in which he alleged that local government officials were illegally extracting drinking water and purposefully overcharging local residents, including himself. He added in the video that he had received threats over his public complaints about the issue, though he did not provide details as to who threatened him.
CPJ’s phone calls to the office of Texmelucan mayor Juan Manuel Alonso did not receive any reply. In a short video statement posted Thursday on the Texmelucan municipal government’s X account, Alonso condemned Martínez’s death.