Story By: Juan Mayes, Sub-Editor: Joana Mihajlovska, Agency:  Newsflash

The bodies of these three siblings have been found in plastic bags on a motorway as the state’s attorney general reveals they were potentially targeted by a Mexican drug cartel by mistake after a series of unfortunate coincidences.

Jalisco Attorney General Gerardo Octavio Solis made the comments during a press conference yesterday (10th May).

The three siblings whose bodies were discovered were identified as Ana Karen, 24, Luis Angel, 32, and Jose Alberto, 29, from the Moreno family.

Though their identities have not been officially confirmed by a coroner, their bodies were reportedly identified by their families as they had been reported missing days before.

Local sources said the siblings were at their mum’s house in the city of Guadalajara in the western Mexican state of Jalisco when they were kidnapped by a group of heavily-armed men in khaki pants and bulletproof vests on Friday 7th May.

Their bodies were later discovered on a motorway near the town and municipality of San Cristobal de la Barranca on Sunday 9th May.

Local sources said the bodies were recovered by the authorities after someone reported seeing a bundle of bags on the ground that appeared to have the shape of human bodies.

The news was confirmed by the University of Guadalajara’s Federation of University Students President Javier Armenta who issued a tweet saying: “The State has failed again. Today, the student community is in mourning.”

Jalisco Attorney General Gerardo Octavio Solis revealed in a press conference the kidnapping and murders were potentially related to a separate incident that involved a shootout between gunmen and government agents who were acting as bodyguards.

The shootout, which happened in the neighbouring city of Tlaquepaque, occurred just thirty minutes before the Moreno siblings were taken from the residence which was located metres from a home belonging to the person that had been targeted in Tlaquepaque.

Octavio Solis said: “These coincidences in the schedule and the coincidences in the residences have taken us to open a separate line of investigation with the Attorney General of the Republic.”

He explained the authorities have not ruled out any possibilities saying: “On the one hand we have the hypothesis that the deprivation of liberty of the young men and woman was a direct attack, the other being it was somehow related with the incident that you [the media] reported in Tlaquepaque.”

Local media said the family have pointed to one of Mexico’s deadliest drug cartels called Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) as those responsible for the murders.

Octavio Solis also said at least one of the gunmen who were seen walking into the residence to kidnap the Moreno siblings had the acronyms ‘CJNG’ across his chest.

Jose Alberto was studying Geography at the University of Guadalajara and was also a musician. His sister Ana Karen worked at an automobile company while Luis Angel ran a screen-printing business.

The investigation is ongoing.