Janeth Villalva Cervantes, 23, daughter of Salvador Villalva Flores, the elected mayor of Copala killed in 2024, was found dead at Playa El Morro in Guerrero. Her body showed signs of torture, including tied hands and neck marks, and was discovered in the sea by the Secretaría de Marina. The family plans a wake and burial in Copala, in the Costa Chica region.
Janeth Villalva Cervantes was reported missing since January 1, and her body was found lifeless in the Playa El Morro area, Guerrero. The 23-year-old was the daughter of Salvador Villalva Flores, elected mayor of Copala for the term from October 2024 to 2027, but assassinated on July 17, 2024.
Janeth's body showed traces of torture, with hands bound and marks on the neck. It was discovered in the sea by Secretaría de Marina personnel and transferred to the Servicio Médico Forense for legal necropsy. Copala's municipal government issued an obituary in her memory, and the family announced a wake followed by burial in the Costa Chica region municipality.
Salvador Villalva, a retired captain from the Secretaría de Marina Armada de México, was attacked while returning from Mexico City to Copala. The bus he was on was intercepted by armed men who boarded and shot him at close range. The killing came days after Morena challenged the Copala election over alleged irregularities. Villalva had been elected following the kidnapping and murder of candidate Jesús González Ríos.
Copala, a mining town in Guerrero, is currently led by María del Rosario Zúñiga de la Rosa, appointed by the state Congress in October 2024. This tragic discovery underscores the ongoing violence in the area, where the Villalva family has faced deadly attacks.
