The two photojournalists worked in an area that is known for narcotics trafficking and could have been targeted because of their employment as freelance journalists who sometimes photographed accident scenes for the local newspaper.
Barajas had also photographed accident scenes and drug-related crimes for the Diaro de Zamora newspaper.
Their bodies were found in the trunk of an abandoned car on Sunday, 19 August 2012, in the rural area of Tinaja de Vargas, outside the city of Ecuandureo.
[5] According to the National Institute of Statistics and Geography, there have been 27,199 homicides recorded in Mexico during 2011, making it the deadliest year since President Felipe Calderon was elected in 2006.
[5] The Mexican federal government sent 1,000 additional troops to Michoacán to give extra support to local police forces in their fight against the drug cartels operating in that area.