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Guerrero Priest Found Dead as Officials Focus on Alleged Driver, Church Disputes Claim

Church leaders demand a transparent inquiry following the state's decision to open a homicide case.

Overview

  • Father Bertoldo Pantaleón Estrada, reported missing on October 4, was found on October 6 near kilometer 199 of the MexicoAcapulco highway in the municipality of Eduardo Neri.
  • The Guerrero state prosecutor opened a homicide investigation and forensic teams processed the scene with support from the Army, National Guard and state police.
  • Preliminary police accounts say the priest sustained multiple gunshot wounds and was found inside his vehicle.
  • Federal security chief Omar García Harfuch said the priest’s driver is the main suspect and is being sought; the diocese and parishioners say they do not know of such a driver.
  • Funeral rites were held in Mezcala as the episcopate pressed for a prompt, exhaustive probe; no arrests have been publicly confirmed, and the federal government says it is in contact with the Church.