Human remains found in Moloacán, a town south of Nanchital in the eastern Mexican state of Veracruz, were identified as journalist Roxana Berenice Guzmán Rodríguez, according to a statement published by the Veracruz state prosecutor’s office (FGE) on July 3, 2026.
Guzmán, the founder and editor of the Facebook-based news website Pulso Informativo del Sureste, was taken by unidentified armed men on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, in Nanchital, according to a statement by the state’s prosecutor’s office, which added that state authorities opened an investigation into the kidnapping.
A video shared widely on social media on the same day of Guzmán’s abduction shows how an unidentified man used a heavy tool to break down the door of her residence while a second unidentified male pointed a gun and threatened the journalist and her family. According to news reports and the prosecutor’s office’s statement, she was taken shortly after.
Eight suspects have been arrested in connection Guzmán’s killing as of July 2026, four of them members of the Ixhuatlán municipal police who allegedly provided resources and logistical support to another four suspects, identified as Javier Iván ‘N’, José del Carmen ‘N’, Luis Arturo ‘N’ and Karen Monserrat ‘N’, according to that statement. The FGE did not confirm the motive in Guzmán’s abduction and killing.
On August 5, 2026, the Veracruz state Congress, in a closed-door session, voted to remove the immunity from prosecution from Raúl González Martínez, the mayor of Ixhuatlán del Sureste, a town near Nanchital, according to news reports.
Reports noted that the FGE had identified González as the possible mastermind behind the abduction and killing of Guzmán and had requested the state congress remove his immunity on July 7 so he can be investigated. The reports added that González was allegedly angered by a photo Guzmán had in her possession that may compromise his political. The FGE has not publicly confirmed this and did not answer a telephone call by CPJ to request for comment.
Guzmán’s website Pulso Informativo del Sureste publishes mostly local news, including recent stories on infrastructure, traffic accidents, issues with power and water and, occasionally, crime in Nanchital and its surroundings. The website has approximately 21,000 followers.