CRIME · MEXICO
Key Facts
- —The country Mexico shares a long land border with the United States and is one of its largest trading partners. Jalisco, home to Guadalajara, is a popular destination for US visitors.
- —Why it matters Rancho Izaguirre, a ranch in Teuchitlán, Jalisco, became a national symbol of Mexico’s missing-persons crisis after volunteers found clothing and bone remains there in March 2025.
- —Why now A masked man who said he belonged to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel claimed on Italian public television that he cremated 250 people at the ranch. The interview aired on Saturday 10 October.
- —What happened On Wednesday 14 October, Mexico’s federal prosecutor’s office called the mass-cremation claim false and said forensic processing of the site is 92% complete.
- —The numbers 15 people taken to criminal proceedings; 92% of forensic work at the site done; 10 people detained in a September 2024 raid on the property.
- —What it means for you Washington lists the Jalisco cartel as a foreign terrorist organisation, so the case feeds into US pressure on Mexico over cartel violence and disappearances.
- —Still open Who the interviewee is, whether prosecutors will question him, and how many victims have been identified at the ranch.
- —Power Index Mexico ranks 2nd of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 71.4 points (October 2026 edition).
Mexico’s federal prosecutors on Wednesday rejected an anonymous man’s claim that he cremated 250 people at Rancho Izaguirre, a ranch in the western state of Jalisco. The Fiscalía General de la República (FGR), Mexico’s autonomous federal prosecutor, called the claim false and said forensic work there is 92% complete.
The masked man told Italian public television he was a hitman for the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), a US-designated terrorist group. For US readers, the case tests how Mexico investigates disappearances tied to a group Washington treats as a terrorist threat.
What Prosecutors Said About Rancho Izaguirre
In a statement quoted by El Informador of Guadalajara and El Heraldo de México, the FGR addressed a video of a supposed member of a criminal group. It said “that assertion is false” and gave the 92% figure for forensic processing of the property in Teuchitlán.
It said its Special Prosecutor’s Office for Human Rights has brought 15 people possibly linked to the site to criminal proceedings. The FGR described the ranch as a training camp and said investigators are analysing phone records and mobile devices under judicial control.
The office added that victims’ testimony forms part of the case and that it will keep informing the public “as due process allows.” Infobae México said the statement was published on the office’s social media account on Wednesday.
What the Interview Claimed
The interview aired on Saturday 10 October on Tg1, the news programme of Italy’s public broadcaster RAI, by journalist Stefania Battistini. A man with his face covered said he was a cartel hitman and claimed more than 500 people were killed at the ranch.
He also claimed to have cremated 250 of them and said he secretly helps relatives’ search groups locate remains. His claims have not been independently confirmed, and his identity has not been made public.
Battistini shared the footage on X on Sunday 11 and Tuesday 13 October, with images by Gabriel Casal, Infobae México said. She thanked Guerreros Buscadores de Jalisco, a volunteer collective of relatives who search for missing people in the state.
The Mexican newspaper Vanguardia said the testimony clashed with earlier FGR findings that the ranch was not a cremation site. Infobae México likewise said the account contradicted the FGR’s position that there was no evidence of bodies being cremated there.
How the Case Began
Members of Guerreros Buscadores de Jalisco entered the ranch on Wednesday 5 March 2025 after an anonymous tip, El Informador said. They found clothing, shoes, backpacks and bone remains, which drew national attention to the site.
The property had already been raided in September 2024, when an operation ended with 10 people detained, the same newspaper said. The FGR later took over the investigation after criticism of how state authorities first handled it, the newspaper El Fronterizo said.
Since then, the FGR has described the ranch as a recruitment, training and operations centre for the cartel. It has rejected the description of an extermination site used by search groups and relatives of the missing.
In Wednesday’s statement, prosecutors published new progress figures but did not mention any convictions. They also did not name the 15 people brought to criminal proceedings or list the charges they face.
What It Means for US Readers
The State Department’s designation of the CJNG as a foreign terrorist organisation appeared in the Federal Register on Thursday 20 February 2025. That status makes material support to the group a federal crime and raises compliance risks for US companies operating in Jalisco.
Jalisco is home to Guadalajara, a manufacturing hub, and the resort city of Puerto Vallarta, both popular with US visitors. Cases such as Rancho Izaguirre can weigh on talks between Washington and Mexico City over cartels, extraditions and missing people.
For daily life, nothing in the FGR statement changes travel conditions in Guadalajara or on the Jalisco coast. Visitors should still read the current US State Department advisory for Jalisco before travelling outside the main cities.
For national context, see Mexico Murders Hit September Low Since 2015 and Mexico Security and Crime Explained 2026. The Guadalajara city guide and Who Dominates Mexico, Elites and Regions Explained cover the wider setting.
What Is Not Known
The interviewee’s identity has not been made public, and it is unclear whether Mexican prosecutors have tried to question him. It is also not known whether RAI holds material beyond the broadcast segment.
The FGR did not say how many people’s remains have been identified at the site. It also did not explain what evidence led it to call the cremation claim false.
It is unclear when the remaining 8% of forensic work will be finished. El Fronterizo noted that the 92% figure covers processing of the site, not the wider criminal investigation.
Search collectives have long called for independent forensic reviews of the ranch, Vanguardia said. Whether the interview leads to fresh searches at the property remains an open question.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Rancho Izaguirre?
It is a property in Teuchitlán, Jalisco, where a volunteer search group found clothing, shoes and bone remains in March 2025. Mexico’s federal prosecutors describe it as a cartel recruitment and training camp.
What did Mexico’s prosecutors say on 14 October?
The FGR called an anonymous man’s claim of mass cremations at the ranch false. It said forensic processing is 92% complete and that 15 people have been brought to criminal proceedings.
Who made the claim?
A man with his face covered, who said he was a CJNG hitman, made it in an interview with Tg1, the news programme of Italy’s RAI. His identity is unknown and his claims have not been independently confirmed.
Why does this matter to the United States?
Washington designated the CJNG a foreign terrorist organisation in February 2025. Progress on cases linked to the group feeds into US and Mexican security cooperation.
Is it safe to travel to Jalisco?
The FGR statement does not change travel conditions in Guadalajara or Puerto Vallarta. Check the current US State Department advisory for Jalisco before planning trips outside the main tourist areas.
Sources: El Informador; El Heraldo de México; Infobae México; El Fronterizo; Vanguardia; US Federal Register, FTO designations, 20 February 2025.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief