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Several women found dead in a popular American tourist destination have local authorities probing whether there is a larger trend at play.
Over the past few weeks, authorities in Puerto Vallarta in the Mexican state of Jalisco, a hot spot for American tourism, have recovered the bodies of the women in separate parts of the city, according to local reports.
Though none of the victims have been identified, police have said the women were all between 30 and 35 years old, had tattoos and were found partially undressed.
For that reason, police are probing whether there is a connection between the deaths.
Tourists stroll along the boardwalk in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico, on Feb. 24, 2026. (Alfredo Estrella/AFP)
Mexico News Daily reported that since no friends or relatives of the women have come forward to claim any of the bodies, authorities are also exploring the possibility that they were killed elsewhere and dumped in Puerto Vallarta.
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The first body was found on May 10, and only days later, a second body was found. The third body was found last Thursday, sparking fears of a repeat offender.
The women’s bodies were recovered in three separate places on the outskirts of the city, away from crowded areas where most residents live and where most tourists enjoy vacations.
A beach scene at Playa de los Muertos in the Romantic Zone of Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico, on April 28, 2025. (Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket)
About 1.7 million tourists visited Puerto Vallarta in 2022, the latest for which statistics are available. The vast majority of those tourists were Americans.
Following the death of cartel kingpin Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” violence exploded in the state of Jalisco.
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After Oseguera Cervantes was killed, the Jalisco New Generation cartel responded by setting vehicles and buildings ablaze and creating roadblocks in Guadalajara, the state’s capital city. Seven people, including Oseguera Cervantes, were killed in clashes with Mexican authorities.
Smoke rises from burning vehicles on highways in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico, on Feb. 22, 2026, amid violence following a military operation in which a government source said Mexican drug lord Nemesio Oseguera, known as “El Mencho,” was killed. (Morelifediares/Reuters)
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Hundreds of Americans were stranded in the state during February when the violence reached its peak, and the State Department issued a heightened travel alert.
Since then, the region has stabilized.