Body of Murdered Missing Mexican Journalist Found — 15th in 2022

Authorities in Mexico found the body of a journalist who had been reported missing days prior. The killing marks the fifteenth of its kind in 2022.

This week, the Sonora Attorney General’s Office confirmed the murder of Juan Arjón Lopez, 62, an online journalist. He was reported missing days prior by local news, however, it was not until Tuesday that authorities found his body along a highway near San Luis Rio Colorado.

No descarta #FiscalíaDeSonora ninguna línea de investigación para establecer los hechos y dar con el o los probables responsables de la privación de la vida de Juan Arjón, comunicador de #SanLuisRíoColorado 1/3

Boletín completo
➡️ https://t.co/w8hn6Sv20D pic.twitter.com/1KQXFeGXWM

— Fiscalía de Sonora (@fgjesonora) August 17, 2022

One day prior to the discovery, authorities issued a statement claiming that no missing person reports were filed.

Investigators revealed that Arjon Lopez was beaten to death. Authorities claimed to have arrested an individual for the kidnapping and murder, however, no were released.

Ante la trascendencia en redes sociales que desde el 9 de agosto se perdió contacto con el comunicador Juan Arjón López, la #FiscalíaDeSonora estableció contacto con corporaciones policiales de los tres órdenes de Gobierno a fin de iniciar en forma oficiosa su búsqueda. 1/3 pic.twitter.com/gwWEAzooTK

— Fiscalía de Sonora (@fgjesonora) August 15, 2022

 

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Arjón Lopez ran a Facebook-based news outlet called “A Que Le Temes” (What are you afraid of) where he reported on crime, local politics, and the environment.

“The tragic and brutal killing of Juan Arjón López is only the latest in a year that is already one of the deadliest in recent history for the Mexican press,” said Jan-Albert Hootsen, CPJ’s Mexico representative in a prepared statement. “Although some arrests have been made in earlier cases of press killings this year, an ongoing climate of impunity continues to fuel these attacks. Mexican authorities must conduct a swift and thorough investigation into Arjón’s killing and bring those responsible to justice.”

The murder comes at a time when Breitbart Texas has recorded 15 murdered media workers in 2022. Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has been harshly criticized for the ongoing of similar killings.

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com. 

Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.