Mexico: Prosecutor accused of covering up woman's murder

A woman's death in Mexico City has raised accusations that authorities in a neighboring state botched her autopsy in order to protect the suspected killer.

Mexico City's Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum accused Morelos' state attorney's office of covering up the killing of 27-year-old Ariadna Lopez. She was found dead on a highway last week in Morelos state, just south of the capital city.

Lopez's death and the response from authorities has sparked anger among women in Mexico and sparked protests.

What did the autopsy show?

The Morelos state attorney's office ruled out evidence of violence and said she had died of alcohol intoxication. 

Morelos state prosecutor Uriel Carmona said a forensic exam showed Lopez had choked on her own vomit as a result of intoxication. 

An investigation by Mexico City prosecutors later concluded Lopez had died of multiple force trauma.

Mexico City prosecutor Ernestina Godoy said a new autopsy showed "several lesions caused by blows" on Lopez's body and listed the cause of death as "multiple traumas."

What happened Ariadna Lopez?

Lopez disappeared on October 30 and was found dead on the side of a road in Morelos state last week. 

Lopez was last seen visiting a restaurant with a man and his girlfriend, Mexico City authorities said. After going to the restaurant, she later went to the man's apartment.

Security footage showed the suspect, who claimed to be friends with Lopez, carrying a body from the apartment.

The suspect turned himself in to prosecutors in the northern city of Monterrey on Monday and said he was innocent of the killing. The woman identified as the suspect's girlfriend was arrested in Mexico City.

What are state officials accused of?

On Monday, Mexico City's mayor accused Morelos state prosecutor Uriel Carmona of botching the autopsy and covering for the suspect.

"It is clear that the prosecutor of Morelos state tried to cover up for the killer of a woman because of his ties to the killer," Sheinbaum said. She did not provide details of the alleged links between Carmona and the suspect.

"It was the duty of Morelos' prosecutors' office to carry out the investigation. Without the intervention from Mexico City, this femicide would have gone unpunished," she added.

The anti-corruption office in Morelos said on Monday it had opened up an investigation into "alleged acts of corruption committed by personnel of the Morelos state prosecutors' office."

Sheinbaum is seen as a strong presidential candidate when Mexico heads to the polls in 2024, potentially making her Mexico's first woman president.

In Mexico, ten women on an average are killed everyday. Morelos has one of the highest rates of femicide in the country.

tg/rs (AFP, AP, Reuters)