Motorists traveling near Valle Hermoso, Tamaulipas state, discovered the remains of 12 individuals on the evening of July 12. Several of the bodies bore signs of torture and many were also wearing white shirts with the letter "Z" written on the chest for the drug-trafficking organization known as Los Zetas. All the bodies appeared to have had their hands and feet bound and displayed at least one gunshot wound to the back of the head from a large-caliber weapon. The 12 corpses were later transferred to nearby Matamoros for further examination. Mexican authorities believe that the discrepancies between the appearances of the 12 bodies mean that the individuals may have been killed in separate incidents and an organized crime group used the area as a dumping ground for bodies. Recent discoveries of other organized crime body-dumping grounds in Michoacan and Quintana Roo have uncovered upward of 60 bodies in a single location, though certain aspects of the local geography were used to help conceal the bodies (e.g., caves, mining shafts). The victims found at the location just outside of Valle Hermoso appear to have been members of the Los Zetas organization. The Los Zetas have been battling their former partners, the Gulf Cartel, and the New Federation for control of the smuggling corridors leading to and along the South Texas-Mexico border region, which has resulted in nearly 700 deaths since the conflict began in late January.
