The Public Ministry (MP) carried out raids on Holy Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Santa Elena, Flores, Petén, as part of the investigation into the death of Edy Josué Romero Tzin, former director of the Petén University Center (Cudep).
The Crimes Against Life Prosecutor’s Office reported that during the proceedings, recordings that could be linked to the incident were seized. So far no arrests related to the case have been reported.
Romero Tzin was killed on January 8, 2026 in a hardware store in the La Ermita neighborhood, in San Benito, in a direct attack that, according to initial investigations, would have been planned.
According to the National Civil Police (PNC), two men on a motorcycle followed the victim hours before the attack. One of them entered the business and shot him repeatedly.
The 60-year-old former university director took office on October 2, 2025, after being sworn in for a four-year period. During his campaign he proposed administrative changes, including the removal of personnel, which, according to authorities, could generate internal tensions.
The initial investigations do not rule out that the crime is linked to disagreements arising from his election or with decisions that he planned to implement at the university center.
The general director of the PNC, David Custodio Boteo, indicated last January that it was a direct attack and that it is being investigated whether there were intellectual authors behind the event, including the possibility that the crime was ordered.
No catches
Since the beginning of the case, the authorities have also analyzed recordings from surveillance cameras that captured the alleged perpetrators, who fled on a motorcycle without license plates.
After the event, the Cudep Board of Directors condemned what happened and demanded that the authorities clarify it and bring those responsible and intellectually to justice.
Almost three months after the attack, the case remains without arrests, while the MP seeks to strengthen the investigation with new audiovisual evidence collected in the recent raids.