Social network commenter beheaded by Mexican drug cartel

By Andrew CoutsProvided by
If you think the worst thing that can happen by leaving comments on websites is getting caught in a flame war, think again. This weekend, police in Mexico found the headless body of a woman who, according to a note left with her decapitated body, was killed for leaving comments on a local social networking site about a drug cartel, reports the Associated Press. This marks the third time this month that people were killed in the embattled region for things they said online.
The victim, Marisol Macias Castaneda, is said to have worked as a newsroom manager for thePimera Hora newspaper, which covered the border town of Nuevo Laredo, located just across the US-Mexico border from Laredo, Texas, and about 160 miles Southwest of San Antonio.
The comment that seems to have led to Castaneda's gruesome demise was posted to the local Nuevo Laredo social network called "Nuevo Laredo en Vivo," or Nuevo Laredo Live. According to the AP, the site regularly features tip hotlines to the Mexican army, navy and police, and "includes a section for reporting the location of drug gang lookouts and drug sales points."
The damning comment, posted under a handle, read:
"Nuevo Laredo en Vivo and social networking sites, I'm The Laredo Girl, and I'm here because of my reports, and yours," the message read. "For those who don't want to believe, this happened to me because of my actions, for believing in the army and the navy. Thank you for your attention, respectfully, Laredo Girl…ZZZZ."
The "Z" in the message refers to the vicious Zetas drug cartel, which is said to rule the Nuevo Laredo area with a bloody fist.
Castaneda's body was found near the side of the road, with her head placed on a nearby rock. The note, left by the killers, referred to Castaneda's nicknames on the site, which were "La Nena de Laredo," or "Laredo Girl."
Officials remain unsure how those who killed Castaneda discovered her real identity.