19 Burned Bodies Found Near Mexico-US Border Town

Mexican authorities say they have found the burned bodies of 19 people, who were also shot, near a town across the Rio Grande from Texas. This particular area is known to authorities as history of violent territorial disputes between organized crime groups in recent years.

According to ABC News, the Tamaulipas state prosecutor’s office revealed that the bodies were discovered along a dirt road outside Camargo after reports of a burning vehicle. Responding authorities located two vehicles on fire, one with four bodies inside and the other with 15.

All of the victims had been shot, but no shells were recovered at the scene, which leads investigators to believe the 19 victims were killed elsewhere. Officials said the killings occurred on Friday, but people hesitated to report it because they were afraid.

Camargo is considered a major smuggling transit point for both drugs and migrants. Organized crime groups and warring drug cartels fight for control of stretches of the border in that area because they make money off everything that crosses the border there.