Crime & Public Safety
Zenyazen Escobar found dead with gunshot wound
Mexican federal lawmaker Zenyazen Escobar was found dead with a gunshot wound on a highway in Veracruz state, local authorities said Friday.
Veracruz Secretary of Government Ricardo Ahued said Escobar was found in his vehicle with a firearm nearby. He said state prosecutors had opened an investigation.
“The death was caused by a firearm; we can't expand on any hypotheses,” Ahued said, declining to say whether the death was a suicide or a homicide.
Ahued ruled out an attack on the vehicle, saying the car was at the side of the road and there was no sign of broader aggression against it. He said Escobar had been sitting in the driver's seat. Photos published by local media showed a firearm between his legs.
Escobar was a teacher and union leader before taking his seat in the Chamber of Deputies in September 2024. Veracruz is one of Mexico's most violent states because of the presence of drug-running criminal gangs.
Update
Veracruz Secretary of Government Ricardo Ahued identified details of the scene and said state prosecutors had opened an investigation.
Ahued said the death was caused by a firearm but declined to state whether it was suicide or homicide.
Ahued said there was no sign of a broader attack on the vehicle.
Escobar was described as a teacher and union leader before taking his seat in the Chamber of Deputies in September 2024.
Source note: AFP news report published on 4 September 2026 at 19:14:28 UTC.
Update
Zenyazen Escobar was found on a highway in Veracruz state.
He was found in his vehicle with a firearm nearby.
Veracruz state's secretary of government declined to say whether the death was suicide or an attack.
Source note: AFP news report published on 4 September 2026 at 18:59:16 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
Authorities did not state whether Escobar's death was being treated as suicide or homicide.
Source
AFP news report published on .