Kidnapped Mexican mayor found dead near Monterrey

MONTERREY, Mexico – Mexican security forces found the body of a slain mayor near Mexicos affluent city of Monterrey on Wednesday, days after he was abducted by drug hitmen, officials and local media said.
Mexican President Felipe Calderon, in a posting on his Twitter account, said he was sorry about the "cowardly assassination" of Mayor Edelmiro Cavazos, the mayor of a popular tourist town on the outskirts of Monterrey, a major industrial center with close U.S. business links.
"The murder of Edelmiro is an outrage and forces us to redouble our efforts to fight these cowardly criminals," Calderon wrote.
Monterrey-based daily El Norte and local TV networks said Cavazos was found bound and dumped on a rural road.
The attorney general in the border state of Nuevo Leon, which includes Santiago and Monterrey, confirmed the body discovered was Cavazos.
The killing of Cavazos, who was taken from his home on Sunday night from the town of Santiago, underscores the escalation in violence in Mexicos richest city, which is moving toward the center of the countrys spiraling drug war.
Nuevo Leon Governor Rodrigo Medina said this week that Cavazos, a member of Calderons conservative National Action Party, was probably targeted for his efforts to clean up Santiagos corrupt police force.
The killing marks the first time drug gangs have gone directly after public officials in the state near McAllen, Texas, but it is the latest in a series of drug gang attacks on public figures across the country.
TV images showed dozens of Mexican soldiers and police at the crime scene outside the colonial-era town.
El Norte said the mayor was found blindfolded, with his hands bound.