Alabama Doctor Dies after Beating from Puerto Vallarta Vacation

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A doctor from Alabama has reportedly died from medical complications stemming from an assault he suffered while visiting Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The victim was on life support before succumbing.

Dr. William Thomas O’Byrne III, a 54-year-old Anesthesiologist at UAB hospital was vacationing in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, when he was severely beaten and left for dead, AL.com reported. After the attack, Dr. O’Byrne was flown to Alabama where he had been on life support until his passing. Details of the assault have not been released.

In December a city official from Imperial Beach, California, was murdered in Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, Guerrero. In that case, Doug Bradley was shot three times, Breitbart Texas reported. Mexican authorities arrested the suspected gunman believed responsible for the shooting. The incident appears to be connected to a dispute over the services of an escort.

Puerto Vallarta is a famed beach resort town in the coastal state of Jalisco. While the city has not seen much violence compared to other parts of Mexico, the state is controlled by one of the most violent cartels known as Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG). Puerto Vallarta is the same city where a team of CJNG gunmen kidnapped the sons of famed Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman Loera. The drug lord’s sons were dining at an upscale restaurant when rivals burst in carrying machine guns.

In recent months, violence at popular Mexican beach resorts has escalated. One of those resort areas hit hardest is Cancun, which has seen 55 cartel executions in 50 days, Breitbart Texas reported.

Most recently, cartel gunmen planted explosives at a tourist ferry in Playa del Carmen. The blast injured 25 tourists including various U.S. citizens. As Breitbart Texas reported, the explosion is linked to the fighting between rival cartels for control of the area.

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

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

Editor’s note: This article was updated to reflect new information on the Bradley case. Dr. O’Byrne’s full name was also clarified. 

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