PGJE Confirms the Death of Michoacan Journalist Salvador Adame

Translated by Yaqui for Borderland Beat from Proceso

Michoacan Journalist Salvador Adame Pardo
Missing for over a month

By: Francisco Castellanos J.
June 26, 2017

MORELIA, Mich. (Apro) .- The Attorney General of the State (PGJE) confirmed the death of journalist Salvador Adame Pardo, whose remains were found on Friday 14 in the Barranca del Diablo, municipality of Gabriel Zamora.

The head of the PGJE, Martin Godoy Castro, confirmed the location of the corpse of the jounalist, who was allegedly killed by drug trafficker Feliciano L. " El Chano" Ledezma. The body was found calcinated (burned), but it will be the PGJE that determines the cause of his death, after performing the necropsy of law.

The PGJE reported that, on the instructions of Gov. Silvano Aureoles Conejo, he continued to work "with determination and firmness in the investigation of criminal acts that hurt society ... In this task there will be no respite or rest. We will continue working every day to generate results for the benefit of the Michoacans. "

In a statement, he said: "With the determination to achieve full clarification of the facts related to the deprivation of liberty of Salvador Adame Pardo, denounced on May 18 before this institution, we continue working closely with the Attorney General's Office The Republic, carrying out operative actions and supported by the Mexican Army and Federal Police. "

After reproving and condemning the murder of Adame Pardo, the Attorney General's Office reported that the journalist's remains were found in a "state of calcination " (burned)  on Friday 14, during fieldwork and tracking.

The authorities detailed that they were in the place known as Barranca del Diablo, located on the road that leads from New Italy to Lombardy, passing the bridge of El Márquez, in the municipality of Gabriel Zamora.

Experts specialized in the matter preserved the remains and transferred them to Morelia to be delivered to the General Directorate of Expert Services, where the corresponding genetic analyzes would be done.

After the collection and comparison of samples as the law specifies , specialists of the Genetics Department, the DNA tests confirmed the verification that the remains corresponded to the journalist Salvador Adame Pardo.

Near the Bridge Leading to Barranca del Diablo

The agency said that these conclusions were added to others that the Attorney General has done since he became aware of the facts.

Assumptions: "Personal Problems"

On June 21, personnel from the Mexican Army and the Michoacán Police that make up the Base of Mixed Operations made tours in the town of September 1st, Parácuaro municipality, in which the arrest of Ignacio Rentería Andrade,  "El Cenizo" and Daniel Rubio Ruiz,  "El Cabezón"  or  "El Cabezas" .

                                                                         

"El Cenizo"
See my Post from June 22, 2017
     

The latter had an arrest warrant against him for the crime of kidnapping to the detriment of two merchants of the municipality of Lázaro Cárdenas in 2015, so it was made available to this institution for compliance with the injunction and relief of various proceedings of law.The interview revealed data related to the kidnapping of Adame Pardo. For example, the fact that  "El Cabezas"  referred to him as his cousin, because they lived together as a childThe mother of  "El Cabezas"  took over Salvador Adame from his childhood.





 The detainee said that, upon learning of the disappearance, he began to search for him and through  "El Cenizo" he contacted  "El Chano" Ledezma, identified with the initials FLR, alleged leader of a delinquent cell operating in the Tierra Caliente regionAccording to the PGJE interview,  "El Chano" Ledezma  was ordered to deprive Salvador Adame of freedom to kill him and burn his body.

The possible motive of the act, according to this statement, was due to personal problems between the victim and  "El Chano" Ledezma. This could be related to messages identified on the journalist's phone with insults and confrontation. The authority said that these messages are a matter of investigation.

According to the declarant, the calcinated remains of the victim were abandoned in the Barranca del Diablo. The DNA of the body that authorities found on the site on Friday coincided with the genetic tests of the journalist.

The PGJE reported that, as agreed at the meeting between Governor Silvano Aureoles and relatives of Adame Pardo, the authorities have informed the family  of the progress of

the investigation and will proceed to the delivery of the remains for legal purposes.

Facebook and "El Migueladas"

The alleged kidnapper and homicide of journalist Salvador Adame Pardo could be part of the criminal group led by Miguel Ángel G.  "El Migueladas" , allegedly related to  "El Chano" Ledezma. He was accused by  "El Cabezas"  of being the material and intellectual author of the communication, according to an intelligence report.

"El Chano" Ledezma  was arrested on April 4, 2016 in Parácuaro, along with two people in possession of weapons and a fake police patrol. They were also secured six large caliber firearms, 46 chargers, more than 1,000 useful cartridges, cellular devices, radio and tactical equipment and cash.

The alleged responsibility in the crime of the murder of Journalist Salvador Adame was pointed out last May 24 in a Facebook publication of the group: "Nueva Italia PJNGI Migueladas" which states:

 "We launched an operation to find the whereabouts of journalist Salvador Adame Pardo, who was kidnapped by the PJNG and its leader."

The message pointed to Feliciano Ledezma," Melenas ", Pancho Tovar, "El Cukin" , "El Ruinas"  and " Los Chícharos"  as responsible.

Faced with this information, the PGJ confirmed "its commitment to continue the investigative  work in close coordination with the federal authorities, to achieve full clarification of these facts, to identify all the people who intervened and bring them to justice."

The agency added that as the research progresses, it will report "from proven evidence using scientific and criminal methods, always attached to law and exhausting all possible lines of investigation." Finally, he said he is waiting for relatives of Salvador Adame to come and collect the remains of the journalist.

CNDH calls for thorough investigation

After confirming the finding of the body of Salvador Adame, the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) demanded that the authorities "intensify investigations in a thorough and well documented way so that the mobile device, whatever it may be, corresponds to the evidence, and that there is no doubt, in order to avoid falling into a black hole, as long as there is no certainty of the facts and that the investigation allows us to arrive at the truth and, consequently, the corresponding responsibilities ".

In a statement, he expressed his condolences to the communicators' relatives, colleagues and friends and noted that with his homicide there were 128 journalists killed since 2000 to date. Of these, he said, eight have occurred so far in 2017, while there are 20 journalist disappeared and 51 more threatened at their workplaces.

The agency considered that "there is no justification for limiting the work of journalists, who must have all the guarantees that allow them to practice their profession without threats or aggression, since when there is an attack against a Journalist, such an attack extends to society and against democracy."

Cases such as that of Salvador Adame, he said, "put at risk the freedom of expression as an indispensable asset of democracy, for which society as a whole must reject violence and demand that cease attacks on journalists in the name of freedom of expression and that a fress press is a crucial ingredient to a successful democracy."

Finally, the CNDH said that they will observe the evolution of events and underlined his "commitment to the journalistic guild to demand that the authorities of the three orders of government create safe environments so that their information work unfolds without fears, ties, threats and retaliation".