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Bone Fragments Show Suspected Serial Killer Likely Murdered At Least 17 People, Authorities Say
Authorities in Mexico have recovered numerous sets of human remains from a house on the outskirts of Mexico City.
The suspected Mexican serial killer known as “Andrés” likely killed at least 17 people, authorities said this week, after analyzing bone fragments found on his property in the outer edge of Mexico City last month.
Police arrested “Andrés” inside his home on May 15 in the municipality of Atizapán de Zaragoza. Inside the property, authorities said they found the sectioned and filleted body of 34-year-old Reyna González on a table in his basement in Las Lomas de San Miguel, a neighborhood on the western edge of Mexico City, along with a bloody hacksaw and knife.
Excavations began on the property on May 17; since then, authorities who dug up the floorboards beneath the property found multiple sets of bones, as well as evidence that the killings may have gone on decades.
“This analysis indicates that, up to now, the bone fragments found may possibly be those of 17 people,” a statement from prosecutors in the State of Mexico said. “The bone fragments are being subjected to ‘lateralization’ studies, which include carefully cleaning each one, identifying what part of the body they are, and then placing them in their anatomical position, providing a method for determining the approximate number of victims.”
Investigators said they are now planning to extend the search by digging up the ground under rooms on the 72-year-old’s property that he had rented over the years. He has been named “Andrés” publicly as Mexican laws protect a suspect’s identity.
Appearing in court in May after his arrest, “Andrés,” who was formerly a butcher, reportedly said “I think there were 15,” referring to the number of people he has killed, and reportedly admitted to dismembering and eating some of the victims.
Multiple other items in the home, including 28 8mm videotapes and 25 VHS cassettes, both of which were discontinued years ago, suggest that the killings may have gone on for decades. ID cards, at least 91 photographs, eight cell phones, and women’s jewelry and makeup were also found by investigators.
Femicides have become an epidemic in Mexico over the past few decades, and widespread indifference may have played a role in the suspected decades-long series of murders. González’s body was found because her husband, a police commander, had access to surveillance cameras. He took the investigation into his own hands after being “let down” by local authorities.
González had been scheduled to take “Andrés,” a family friend who was known throughout the community, with her on a regular trip to a downtown Mexico City wholesale market to get supplies for her cell phone shop. When she didn’t return, her husband, Bruno, began to suspect their elderly neighbor.
“Andrés” has been ordered to stand trial in her killing. A lawyer for her family told the Associated Press that, given the man’s advanced age and physical condition, he wants prosecutors to investigate possible accomplices.
“It is hard to believe he had the strength to do this himself,” Sergio Baltazar. “There were probably accomplices.
