At least 32 bodies wrapped in sheets, nylon, sacks or abandoned in barrels have been located in different parts of the country during 2026, a criminal modality that keeps the authorities on alert and increases fear among residents of the communities where the findings occur.
Every time a body appears in these conditions, neighborhood alarm grows, due to the level of violence with which the victims are abandoned and the frequency with which these cases begin to be repeated in urban and rural areas, as expressed on social networks.
The most recent case occurred on May 18, when lifeguards located the body of a man wrapped in sheets inside a ditch, in Vuelta del Gavilán, zone 1 of Mixco, on the route to Ciudad Satélite.
Records from the Volunteer Firefighters detail that between January and May, 12 bodies were located in 10 different events, including cases in which two victims were abandoned in the same place.
Added to these figures are 13 bodies reported by the Departmental Municipal Firefighters, mainly in sectors of El Fiscal, Palencia; Bárcena, Villa Nueva; and the route between San Juan Sacatepéquez and Ciudad Quetzal.
Another point where the authorities have reinforced the investigations is the village of El Rosario, San Miguel Dueñas, Sacatepéquez, where bodies were recently found.
Separately, the Municipal Firefighters reported seven bodies located between January and April in Mixco and in the La Reformita neighborhood, zone 12 of the capital, all involved.
Research lines
The National Civil Police (PNC) indicated that the investigations mainly point to two motives: rivalry between gangs and disputes over territories for drug dealing.
Jorge Aguilar, spokesperson for the PNC, explained that the Department of Crimes against Life, of the Specialized Division in Criminal Investigation (DEIC), works in coordination with the Public Ministry (MP) to identify those responsible.
Aguilar added that, according to preliminary investigations, several of the victims had criminal records, admissions to prison centers or links to criminal structures.
“It has been determined that some of the deceased have been admitted to prisons, have a history and a relationship with criminal structures. These types of events are regretted because they involve human lives, but the investigations point to conflicts between gangs,” said Aguilar.
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