A man’s body was discovered wrapped in a blanket and abandoned on Calzada Independencia in Tijuana on Monday afternoon, prompting a state investigation into what appears to be another cartel-style killing in the border city.
A passerby spotted the body on the roadside near the bordo Rivera in the Montecarlo Residencial neighborhood and called the C5 emergency line at 3:42 p.m. Agents from the Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI), the state investigation agency, arrived to cordon off the scene and collect evidence.
A Grim Pattern in Tijuana
The killing follows a method known in Mexico as “encobijado,” in which victims are wrapped in blankets and left in public areas. Law enforcement officials and criminologists have long associated this practice with organized crime groups that use the display of bodies as territorial messaging.
Tijuana has seen repeated instances of this tactic in recent years. In June 2023, seven bodies were found in an abandoned pickup truck at a Tijuana gas station, with one victim wrapped in a blanket. That discovery prompted Tijuana’s mayor, Montserrat Caballero, to announce she would relocate to a military base for her own safety.
Calzada Independencia is a major road that runs through eastern Tijuana, passing through several residential neighborhoods. The Montecarlo Residencial area sits in the southeastern part of the city, away from the main tourist corridor near the border crossing.
Investigation Underway
Authorities have not released the victim’s identity or a cause of death. AEI investigators said they expected to provide additional details within hours of processing the crime scene. The body was transported to the Baja California forensic services facility for examination.
Tijuana recorded more than 1,500 homicides in 2023, making it one of the most violent cities in Mexico. Drug cartels, including factions of the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), continue to compete for control of smuggling routes into the United States through the San Ysidro Port of Entry, located roughly 12 miles northwest of the crime scene.
Drivers who use Calzada Independencia should be aware of possible road closures or detours near the bordo Rivera while investigators finish processing the area. This story was first reported by The Baja Post.