Chilpancingo, Mexico, Jan 13 (EFE).- The body of one of the 17 men reported missing after an attack over the weekend on a wedding caravan in the southern Mexican state of Guerrero has been found, officials said Wednesday.
The body was discovered between the towns of Salitre and San Miguelito, both located far from the city of Arcelia, where the disappearances occurred, Guerrero Attorney General Javier Olea told Televisa.
The man, who was around 50, owned several tortilla shops in Arcelia, Olea said, adding that he did not know "the reason why they killed him."
"There are indications" that the other 16 men who disappeared on Saturday are still alive, such as "food, blankets, clothing" found in the mountains by the 60 police officers searching for them, Olea said.
"We are close to them," the attorney general said, adding that the men were merchants who may have been taken by Los Tequileros, a new gang possibly looking to recruit members.
"No ransom has been demanded," Olea said.
Owners of tortilla shops have staged protests recently to draw attention to the killings, extortion and kidnappings they are experiencing at the hands of organized crime groups, which demand the payment of large amounts of protection money to let them work.
Seven tortilla-shop owners have been murdered, the trade association representing the businesses said earlier this month.
Five educators were reported missing in the same region in the past few days.
A group of gunmen arrived at Santa Ana del Aguila high school in the city of Ajuchitlan del Progreso on Monday and kidnapped five teachers, one of them a woman.
The gunmen arrived in several SUVs and went straight to the school.
Arcelia and Ajuchitlan del Progreso are in the Tierra Caliente, a region straddling Michoacan, Guerrero and Mexico states that has been the scene of fighting among rival drug cartels.
The Familia Michoacana, Guerreros Unidos and Caballeros Templarios have been waging a turf war in the region for years.