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Decapitated journalist in Mexico used online social network site to report anonymously on violence

The body of a decapitated journalist was found on the morning of Sept. 24 in a roundabout in the border city of Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, reported the GlobalPost. The female journalist was identified as María Elizabeth Macías Castro, editor-in-chief of the newspaper Primera Hora.

A sign next to the body said she was killed for her postings on a social network site, and read, "I'm the girl of Laredo and here I am for my reports and theirs...for those who don't want to believe this, this happened because I trusted Sedena and Marina," and was signed with the letter "Z," an allusion to the Los Zetas criminal organization.

It seems that Macías, 39-years-old, used the handle "the girl of Laredo" ("la nena de Laredo") on the website Nuevo Laredo Vivo, which reports on violent crime and drug cartels in the Mexican city bordering Laredo, Texas.

Her killing occurred 10 days after two young people were found dead hanging from a pedestrian bridge with a sign warning against using similar blogs and websites in the same city.

The newspaper Primera Hora, owned by Benjamín Galván, mayor of Nuevo Laredo, does not publish news about drug trafficking and did not report the death of the journalist, who was last seen Friday, Sept. 23, when she left the office, according to the website Sin Embargo.

Mexico ranks as the most dangerous country in Latin America for journalists. Click here to see a Knight Center map of attacks against the press in Mexico.

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