Mexico to Exhume Remains of Slain Zetas Leader’s Parents

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As conspiracy theories about the death of Heriberto Lazcano continue to circulate, Mexican authorities said they would exhume his parents’ remains in order to perform a DNA test and prove that they had killed the Zetas boss, the biggest capo to fall under the current administration.

Mexico‘s Attorney General’s Office (PGR) has begun proceedings to exhume the remains of Lazcano’s parents in order to obtain genetic material, reported Proceso.

After Lazcano, alias “Z-3,” was killed in a firefight with Mexican marines on October 7 in Coahuila, his body was stolen from the morgue. However, the PGR and the Coahuila authorities have genetic samples from the body, which can be compared to samples from Lazcano’s parents.

An official from the organized crime division of the Attorney General’s Office, SEIDO, told press that Lazcano’s parents, who died many years ago and are buried in Hidalgo, must be exhumed because authorities have been unable to locate the Zetas leader’s sisters. He also stressed that all tests done up until now have confirmed that the man killed was indeed Lazcano.

InSight Crime Analysis

Despite the release of graphic photos of the corpse’s face, and an autopsy report, the disappearance of Lazcano’s body has fueled conspiracy theories about whether or not the Zetas leader is really dead. Anonymous “specialists” interviewed by Proceso argued that the wounds shown in the photos do not match the details of how Lazcano was shot, and some have speculated that the Zetas boss is still alive and serving as a protected witness.

With President Felipe Calderon’s term coming to a close, and some opposition politicians openly questioning the marines’ story, the pressure is on the government to prove that Lazcano is dead.

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