Nine students went missing in Mexico in February. Now their mutilated remains have been found in the trunk of an abaonded car in San Jose Miahuatlan. They were found hacked apart with their bodies unceremoniously discarded along a stretch of highway. Next to them was a bag containing their hands, which had been severed from their bodies. Cartels are suspected in their deaths.

Their bodies were discovered in a Volkswagen Vento with Tlaxcala license plates three days after they were reported missing. That car was found along the Cuacnopalan-Oaxaca highway, about 175 miles from Mexico City. Eight of the victims were identified as Angie Lizeth, 29, Brenda Mariel, 19, Jacqueline Ailet, 23, Noemi Yamileth, 28, Lesly Noya Trejo, 21, Raul Emmanuel, 28, Ruben Antonio, and Rolando Armando. The ninth victim was not yet identified.

Five of the murdered students were beneath a blood soaked tarp, The Daily Mail reports. The other bodies were found "contorted." The students were from Tlaxcala and they have gone to the beach in Oaxaca, a destination many believe to be safe, on a holiday trip, per Mexican outlets. Opposing reports suggested that the victims were part of the Los Zacapoaxtlas gang.

Authorities are using surveillance footage in the days leading up to the students going missing to see if they can find any suspects. "So far I cannot offer information. There are lines of investigation, but I cannot reveal them due to confidentiality," said the Puebla State Attorney General's Office. "All relevant investigations are being carried out. When we have a response and the investigation is complete, we will be in a position to provide more information."

The Daily Mail reports that "Over 30,000 murders were committed in Mexico in 2023, according to the most recent figures. Many of the slayings were tied to drug trade, with cartel hits leading to particularly gruesome scenes."

29 members of Mexican cartels were extradited to the US to face justice. Many of those face the death penalty or life in prison. This comes after President Donald Trump designated drug and human trafficking cartels as terrorist groups.