Mexico News Editor Found Decapitated

The editor of a Mexican newspaper was found dead, her body decapitated and with a note next to it.

Earlier this month, attackers left ominous threats mentioning two social media websites on signs beside mutilated bodies in northern Mexico. This appears to be yet another threat to journalists and citizens in Mexico who are reporting on cartel activities on social networking sites.

From CNN:

Maria Elizabeth Macias Castro, 39, was the editor in chief of the newspaper, Primera Hora.

Her body was found Saturday morning, according to the attorney general’s office in the northern Tamaulipas state. A message “attributed to a criminal group” was found next to her, the office said.

“The state government expresses its deepest condolences to the relatives and loved ones affected by these lamentable acts,” the office said, adding that it is investigating.

3,200 Mexican Federal Police Fired

It appears that more than 3,000 Mexican federal police have been fired dating back to May for failing to do their work or being linked to corruption.

From CNN:

The probe started in mid-May, said Marco Tulio Lopez of the federal police internal affairs department.

“Investigations of our department began many months ago and this is the result,” federal police spokesman Ramon Salinas told CNN.

Among the officers who were fired, Rosas said, were officials in Ciudad Juarez who were publicly accused by fellow officers of corruption several weeks ago. In that incident, two groups of officers shoved and fought each other outside police headquarters.

5.7 Earthquake Rattles San Diego

Looks like the earthquake which shook Southern California this evening measured 5.7 on the Richter Scale with an epicenter about 60 miles from Tijuana, Mexico.

Looks like there has been a cluster of recent earthquakes right on the California/Mexico border!

At Petco Park in San Diego, Toronto Blue Jays reliever Scott Downs had just retired David Eckstein and found himself standing on the mound when the stadium began shaking.

If you’re in Southern California…please share the experience. I’ve been in 4 large earthquakes, and everyone seemed to be a little different…

From the Associated Press:

The U.S. Geological Survey says the magnitude-5.7 quake was centered five miles southeast of Ocotillo near the U.S.-Mexico border. It struck Monday at about 9:30 PDT.

The quake was initially reported as a magnitude-5.9 temblor.

It was felt as a gentle rolling motion in Los Angeles, Long Beach and Orange County.

Ten Young People Shot Dead in Mexico

Ten children, youths and young adults between the ages of 8 and 21 were gunned down, presumably by drug traffickers, in the northern Mexican state of Durango.

At this time, no arrests have been made.  

From CNN:

Attorney General Daniel Garcia Leal said that unknown gunmen who had set up a fake checkpoint on the road shot and even threw grenades at the victims, the state-run Notimex news agency reported.

The victims were in a pickup truck, returning to their homes after having traveled to pick up money to support their school as part of a government social program, Garcia Leal said.

The gunmen motioned the truck to stop but the victims, out of fear of being robbed or assaulted, did not comply, the attorney general said.

Hijacking in Mexico Ends

An Aeroméxico airliner flying from Cancun to Mexico City with 112 passengers was hijacked this afternoon but passengers and crew were released unharmed after the plane landed safely.

From the Wall Street Journal:

While the plane was en route, the hijacker told the crew he had a bomb and would blow the plane up unless he was allowed to speak to Mexican President Felipe Calderón after the plane landed, Public Security Minister Genaro García Luna said.

The man “said he had a vision and wanted to warn the president” that a major earthquake was about to strike Mexico, said Mr. García Luna.

Mexican federal police initially arrested eight men shortly after the incident, but released all except the preacher, whose name was given as José Flores Pereira. Mr. Flores was born in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, but has lived in Mexico for the past 17 years, according to police.

Mr. García Luna said police believed there was more than one hijacker because the preacher told the crew he was accompanied by three others. It turned out the preacher was referring to the Holy Trinity, Mr. García Luna said.

Headless Bodies Found in Mexico

Police found nine human heads and nine headless bodies in the Mexican state of Guerrero on Sunday, and some of the remains were of soldiers.

From CNN:

The heads were found in Chilpancingo, the state’s capital, and the bodies were found at a different location in Chilpancingo, officials said. Information on whether the heads belonged to the bodies wasn’t available.

Police identified eight soldiers and one high-ranking former police officer among the victims, Zeferino Torre-Blanca, governor of Guerrero told CNN on Sunday.

Guerrero, a major tourist destination, is in southern Mexico on the Pacific coast and includes the resort city of Acapulco.

Decapitation has become a tactic used in Mexico by drug cartels fighting off rival traffickers, police and troops. However, authorities wouldn’t say whether the remains found Sunday were linked to drug-related violence.

In August, the headless bodies of 12 men were found in the state of Yucatan. That month, Yucatan’s governor said the killings appeared to be the result of disputes between drug cartels.

Attorney General Eduardo Medina Mora said this month that organized-crime killings climbed to 5,376 in 2008, more than double the 2,477 such deaths in 2007.

Caylee Anthony: Is A Shocking New Development on the Way?

Bounty Hunter Leonard Padilla seems to believe so according to Local 6 News in Florida.

Credit: Associated Press

From the article:

A bounty hunter who helped Casey Anthony, the mother of a missing 3-year-old Orlando girl, leave jail last month said the world will be shocked by new revelations in the upcoming weeks, FLORIDA TODAY news partner WKMG Local 6 News reports.

Leonard Padilla and missing Caylee Anthony’s grandmother, Cindy, appeared on a national talk show Tuesday night.

Cindy Anthony told CNN’s Nancy Grace that she believes Caylee is still alive despite evidence indicating the child is dead.

“Right now, my gut is that either she is in Texas, Mexico or Puerto Rico,” Anthony said. “I think she is somewhere down there.”

“(Cindy Anthony) is living in total denial,” Padilla said in response to Cindy Anthony’s comment.

Padilla then said in the upcoming weeks, the country will see some revelations in the case.

“When the FBI, who has got some of the finest labs in the world, comes back (with findings), it is going to shock the world over something Lee, Casey and Cindy have known since Wednesday when they released their preliminary findings,” Padilla said.

“And also, the Dumpster located a mile and quarter away from the boyfriend Tony’s home is going to play a big part in this.”

Credit: Associated Press

Padilla initially said he believed Casey Anthony and that her daughter was alive. He has since changed his belief and has called the mother a liar.

Casey Anthony, 22, remains jailed on unrelated theft charges after she was charged in mid-July with child neglect and filing a false statement in connection to her missing daughter, Caylee, who was last seen in mid-June.

I don’t foresee any shocking developments in this case. I see Casey Anthony tried and convicted of murder with other members of the family involved in the cover up. I pray that they find Caylee safe and sound but it has been so long, and there has been so much evidence that she is not alive, that I have a hard time believing that she still could be. Time will tell. Thoughts?

Hawaii Wins Little League World Series

The team from Waipahu, Hawaii, defeated Matamoros, Mexico, 12-3 to bring home a fourth straight Little League World Series title for the United States.

From the Associated Press:

“USA! USA!” chanted the U.S.-partisan crowd on a warm, sunny afternoon as the players tossed their gloves into the air, then posed near the mound with the world championship banner.

A team from Ewa Beach, Hawaii, started the U.S. winning streak in 2005, with Little Leaguers from Georgia taking the prize the previous two years.

An exhausted Hawaii coaching staff lay sprawled on their back in the middle of the field after the game while their players took the traditional victory lap around Lamade Stadium.

Lamade Stadium

Mexico entered the final with 10 homers and 38 RBIs, but the miscues weighed the team down. Mexico pitchers had nine walks and three wild pitches and hit three batters. The team also had three passed balls.

In the third-place game, Tsuyoki Setoguchi scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the fifth inning to lead Tokyo to a 4-3 victory over Lake Charles. Kennon Fontenot had a two-run single for Louisiana.

Congratulations to Hawaii, and to all of the team’s who made it to Williamsport this year. Always looking forward to next year’s event. Thoughts?