Authorities investigate death of two women and a transit officer in Chetumal

Authorities in Chetumal, Mexico, are investigating the deaths of two women and one traffic officer found inside a residence in the Italy neighborhood. A sixteen-year-old girl and her mother were killed, while their alleged attacker, a thirty-six-year-old traffic official identified as Donaciano, died at the scene. Initial investigations suggest the man attacked his family before taking his own life. Reports indicate that around 9 p.m. on Tuesday, the officer arrived at the home on Avenue Sicilia, located between San Salvador and Venustiano Carranza streets, driving patrol car number 11028. Shortly after he entered the property, residents reported hearing gunshots. These calls alerted local police and personnel from the Specialized Group for Attention to Family and Gender Violence. By approximately 10:30 p.m., a colleague notified authorities that the officer had not left the building. The coworker expressed fear that something bad had happened. With permission from the victims' families, state and municipal police forcibly entered the dwelling. Inside, officers discovered the bodies of the teenager, her mother, and the suspect. Unofficial reports state that the woman killed was a state police officer and the victim's former partner. The suspect was reportedly on duty during the attack. Although the incident involves the gender-based killing of two women, the state attorney general’s office opened a case file under homicide charges rather than femicide. The investigation number assigned is FGE/QROO/OPB/10/5740/2026. Scene response included officials from the Quintana Roo Citizen Security Secretariat, state traffic police, National Guard elements, forensic medical services, and the state prosecutor’s office. Dozens of local and federal police officers gathered outside due to the involvement of law enforcement figures. Neighbors in the area approached the scene to learn about their neighbors. This incident follows previous cases involving police officers in Chetumal linked to femicides. In June 2021, sixteen-year-old Alejandra Michel was found dead in the bay. Two weeks ago, prosecutors announced the arrest of a former municipal police officer from Othon P. Blanco as the suspected perpetrator of that crime. In March 2017, a state preventive police officer killed his wife, Alejandrina, with his service weapon in the Emancipation neighborhood during a divorce process. That case became the first legally classified femicide in Quintana Roo history. Under Article 89-Bis of the Quintana Roo Penal Code, femicide is defined as the intentional deprivation of a woman’s life for gender reasons. Penalties range from thirty to fifty years in prison. Legal criteria include prior domestic violence, threats, sexual violence, or an affectionate relationship. Separately, in Ciudad Victoria, Christian de Jesus Rojas, who was linked to a process for attempted femicide against his then-partner Melanie de Jesus Barragan in December 2024, has been released from the Altamira prison. He will continue his trial under house arrest.