Ballistic and DNA tests link Durango cell to murder of former Sombrerete mayor: Zacatecas Prosecutor's Office

Zacatecas authorities have confirmed a direct link between a criminal cell originating from Durango and the murder of former Sombrerete mayor Ignacio Castrejón. The Zacatecas Attorney General's Office has issued arrest warrants for four individuals from Durango and one from Veracruz, following the analysis of ballistic and DNA evidence.

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These new indications were obtained after the National Guard managed to arrest five people on August 14 in the municipality of Sain Alto for an offense in flagrante delicto, where a 9-millimeter firearm and various illicit objects were seized.

The former mayor was among 10 victims discovered on July 18. Investigations revealed that Castrejón was abducted early that morning in Sombrerete, and his body was later found with multiple gunshot wounds on a dirt road in Saín Alto. The other nine victims, including businessmen and municipal officials, were found in the Morelos and Pánuco municipalities.

Forensic analysis of a 9-millimeter firearm and a vehicle seized on August 14 in Sain Alto by the National Guard directly ties the suspects to the crime. Ballistics tests confirmed that the projectiles recovered from Castrejón's body match the weapon found with the detainees. Furthermore, DNA profiling of blood traces found in a hidden, overturned white car at a searched property matched the former mayor's genetic profile.

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The projectiles extracted from Castrejón's body completely match the weapon seized from the defendants.

The five individuals initially detained were already facing charges for offenses committed at the time of their arrest. However, with the new scientific evidence, the Attorney General's Office has secured additional arrest warrants for qualified homicide against these suspects, who are now formally accused in the murder of the ex-mayor.

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The genetic profile turned out to be identical to that of the former mayor.