(Image Source: GlobalSpin )

BY MATTHEW PICHT

 

What started as a bloody statement has turned into a murder mystery. Mexican police are now searching for the true identity of the killers responsible for the latest drug cartel atrocity .

 


“The discovery on Sunday of 49 mutilated bodies in northern Nuevo Leon state is pushing authorities, especially the country’s forensic teams, to their limits.”

 

The crime was initially attributed to the Zeta cartel; the bodies were discovered in their territory, and nearby gang graffiti seemed to indicate the Zetas.  However, the gang itself has taken action to distance itself from this particular crime.

 

Banners disavowing Zeta involvement in the massacre were discovered hanging from overpasses Tuesday.   Blog del Narco says the banners accuse the federal government of pinning the crime on the Zetas without bothering to fully investigate the circumstances.


Additionally, analyst Rusty Fleming told CNN this slaughter was more likely a setup.


“Misdirection, misinformation--that’s how they conduct their war. I think this is very likely another cartel that’s trying to hang it on the Zetas.”


If the massacre was the act of a rival gang, InSight Crime suggests...


“...this could be a very extreme case of “heating up the plaza,” narco-speak for when a criminal gang commits acts of violence in another group’s territory in order to attract the attention of the federal government, to damage the dominant group there.”

 

To find out more, authorities are turning to DNA analysis of the 49 victims, none of whom have been identified.