Juárez Authorities Investigating Murder of Eight Relatives

By Mónica Ortiz Uribe
November 19, 2013
Juárez
Courtesy of Fiscalía del Estado de Chihuahua
Juárez mayor Enrique Serrano (center) attends a press conference Monday to discuss the murder of eight family members discovered in a neighborhood home Sunday.

Authorities in the Mexican border city of Juárez insist a high profile crime that occurred over the weekend is not tied to organized crime. But the murder of eight people Sunday has the potential to raise concerns about whether Juárez is truly getting safer.

A neighbor discovered the bodies of eight family members who were stabbed to death in a poor neighborhood. The victims included three children, the youngest a 4-year-old girl. The sole survivor was a 3-month-old infant.

Authorities held a press conference Monday to say evidence points to a crime motivated by revenge or a botched robbery. They offered a reward equivalent to about $24,000 U.S. dollars for information that could be helpful to their investigation.

In September, 10 people were murdered at a home celebration following a baseball game. They were killed by gunfire in a sudden attack typical of organized crime killings.

The number of homicides in Juárez has dropped considerably in the last three years as a period of heavy drug violence has subsided. The murder rate today has dropped from an average of eight people a day in 2010 to less than two per day.