Residents of a city in north-central Mexico were stunned when they saw a dog running down the street with a human head in its mouth.
Officials in the violence-ridden state of Zacatecas confirmed the incident and said Thursday police finally managed to rip the dog’s head off.
A police officer, who was not authorized to be named, said the head and other body parts were left in an ATM booth in the town of Monte Escobedo late Wednesday.
The human remains were left with a message referring to a drug cartel. But before the police could act, a stray dog made off with the corpse’s head.
A video posted to social media showed the dog trotting down a dark street, holding its head in its jaws by the neck, apparently intent on taking it to a safe place to eat.
Zacatecas was the scene of a bloody, widespread turf war between local gangs backed by the Sinaloa and Jalisco drug cartels.
Drug cartels in Mexico often leave notes next to piles of dismembered human remains to intimidate rivals or authorities.
In June, the bodies of seven men were found in a popular tourist area with warning labels written on their bodies relating to the Gulf Cartel, which operates primarily along the US border to the north.
In April, six severed heads were reportedly discovered on a car roof in Mexico, with a sign warning others, “This will happen to anyone who messes around.”
A National Guard officer stands guard where a man was murdered in his truck March 15, 2022 in Fresnillo, Zacatecas state, Mexico. PEDRO PARDO/AFP via Getty Images