Journalist Roxana Guzman, the director of a local media outlet, who was abducted on June 2 by armed men while inside her home, has been confirmed dead, the Veracruz State Attorney General’s Office (eastern Mexico) announced yesterday, Friday.

Forensic examinations concluded that the human remains found on a property belonged to “the journalist,” explained the state prosecutor’s office—which had been stripped of responsibility for the investigation, which was subsequently conducted by the national prosecutor’s office, following the uproar caused by the kidnapping case.

At least two men, their faces covered, abducted Roxana Gusman by breaking into her home in broad daylight, as captured in a 35-second video that went viral on social media in Mexico.

In the video, one of the two men tries to break down the door of the journalist’s home by hitting it with a hammer, after which his armed accomplice kicks it open and storms in with an assault rifle raised.

At this point, the video ends.

MEXICAN JOURNALIST WHO FILMED HER OWN KIDNAPPING

FOUND DEAD Mexican authorities found the body of Roxana Berenice Guzmán Ramírez, who was kidnapped nearly a month ago in the state of Veracruz. Her remains were found on a rural property following the arrest of a… pic.twitter.com/TgTjb5yIzO

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— Clarín (@clarincom) July 3, 2026

According to Mexican media, after murdering Roxana Guzmán, the perpetrators attempted to dispose of her body by dismembering it and placing the remains in containers filled with fuel. Authorities found skeletal remains while searching a property.

“Forensic examinations completed the identification process and scientifically confirmed that the remains recovered during the search belonged to the journalist,” the prosecutor’s office explained.

The investigation led to the arrests of eight individuals who are being prosecuted for murder with aggravating circumstances, including four “former municipal police officers,” who face charges of “providing resources, food, and logistical support to the operations of the criminal organization” that kidnapped and killed the journalist, according to the prosecutor’s office.

Roxana Guzmán ran a digital news website called Pulso Informativo del Sureste.

The office of the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) condemned the crime in a statement, calling on the authorities “to continue the investigation” into the kidnapping and murder.

The nongovernmental organization Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) also condemned the murder, which it said demonstrated “the authorities’ inability to protect the press” in the country.

The state of Veracruz is among the Mexican states with the highest number of crimes against journalists. Freelance reporter Luis Ángel López Valdés was also murdered last month while riding in a taxi. This happened even though he was under protection from the authorities because he had been receiving threats due to his journalistic work.

Roxana Guzmán is the third journalist to be murdered in Veracruz this year. In January, Carlos Castro was shot and killed inside a restaurant.

According to the NGO Article 19, at least ten journalists have been murdered in Mexico since left-wing President Claudia Sheinbaum took office in October 2024, a fact that underscores Mexico’s reputation as one of the world’s most dangerous countries for media workers outside of war zones.

According to RSF figures, 9 journalists were killed in 2025. Since 1994, the organization has recorded at least 150 murders of media professionals.

Source: APE-MPE