Mexican Journalist Found Dead, Seventh Reporter Killed In 2011

The body of Yolanda Ordaz de la Cruz, a Mexican journalist, was found yesterday in the Boca del Rio municipality neighboring the Veracruz port, as reported by The LA Times. Some reports claim she was beheaded while others state that her throat was slit. Ordaz covered crime and police stories for the daily newspaper Notiver in Veracruz, which is a critical drug-and-human-trafficking route along the Gulf of Mexico.

A similar incident occurred in late June involving a Notiver co-worker. Columnist Miguel Angel Lopez Velasco - along with his wife and son - were shot to death in Veracruz by gunmen who broke into the family's home during the night. Ordaz was allegedly investigating Lopez's murder.

Authorities denied a journalist work connection to her death, hinting that the motive may have been "links to organized crime."

A note accompanying Ordaz's body read, "Friends also betray. Sincerely, Carranza," as recently reported by The Guardian. Veracruz state investigators have identified former traffic police officer Juan Carlos Carranza Saavedra as the culprit and are offering a $25k reward for his capture.

Ordaz's death marks the third reporter killed this year in Veracruz state and the seventh Mexican journalist killed in 2011. An eighth is missing, according to Reporters Without Borders. Since 2000 a total of 77 reporters have been killed, and 23 reporters have been reported missing since 2003.