4 Found Dead in Mexico’s Cancun Beach Resort Area

Members of the Mexican Navy and National Guard patrol the tourist area of Cancun, Quintana Roo state, Mexico, on March 17, 2023. Elizabeth Ruiz/AFP via Getty Images

Four dead bodies were found outside a popular beachside hotel in Cancun, Mexico, according to authorities.

Police initially said three bodies were found in a lot along Kukulkan Boulevard, but after further investigation, a fourth body was also discovered in the undergrowth of the same lot, the Associated Press reported.

The nationalities and identities of the victims have not been released.

Prosecutors in the Caribbean coast state of Quintana Roo have detained two suspects in connection with the killings.

Investigators have not released the victims’ causes of death, but Reuters reported the four victims were shot to death.

“Authorities are working to shed light on the events and provide the whereabouts of other possible participants in this crime,” officials wrote in a Facebook post.

The investigation is ongoing, and police are looking for other possible suspects, according to the social media post.

The news of the killings comes less than a week after an American tourist was shot in Puerto Morales, about 40 miles south of Cancun.

Several suspects reportedly approached the man and shot him in the leg around midnight on March 29, according to Fox News. The motive for the shooting is under investigation.

The man, whose identity is not known, was transported to a local hospital, where he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

Cancun remains one of the most popular vacation destinations for Americans traveling to Mexico.

Travel Alert

Last month, the U.S. State Department issued a travel alert for Americans planning trips to Mexico for spring break.

Travelers are urged to “exercise increased caution in the downtown areas of popular spring break locations including Cancun, Playa del Carmen, and Tulum,” the March 13 alert stated.

The State Department also warned U.S. citizens that some pharmacies in Mexico often sell sedatives and other drugs that would require a prescription in the United States.  The drugs are often counterfeit and laced with deadly fentanyl.

Americans are also cautioned to avoid “unregulated alcohol,” which may be contaminated.

“U.S. citizens have reported losing consciousness and becoming injured after consuming alcohol that was possibly tainted,” according to the alert.

The warning followed the armed abduction of four Americans after they crossed the southern Texas border into Matamoros in the state of Tamaulipas on March 3.

A woman is carried to the back of a white pickup truck in this still image obtained from social media video that allegedly shows the kidnapping of Americans in Matamoros, Mexico, on March 3, 2023. Video obtained by Reuters

Two victims, identified as Shaed Woodard and Zindell Brown, were killed in the attack, NBC News reported. A 33-year-old Mexican citizen was also killed when she was struck by a stray bullet.

The Gulf cartel issued an apology letter and turned over five men allegedly responsible for the crimes.

“The Gulf Cartel Grupo Escorpiones strongly condemns the events of Friday, March 3, in which, unfortunately, and innocent working mother died and four American citizens were kidnapped, of which two died,” the translated letter read.

“For this reason, we have decided to hand over those involved and directly responsible for the events who at all times acted under their own determination and indiscipline and against the rules in which the CDG has always operated.”

The group had traveled from South Carolina to Mexico, where one of the victims was planning to get a medical procedure.

Latavia Washington McGee and Eric Williams survived the incident and were returned home.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.