Serial Killers in Mexico

Mexico’s history is marred by a chilling array of serial killers whose crimes often intertwine with broader societal issues like poverty, drug trafficking, ritualistic cults, and rampant femicide. From the infamous “Las Poquianchis” sisters who ran a deadly prostitution empire in the mid-20th century to recent cases like the Iztacalco killer who preyed on women in Mexico City, these perpetrators have claimed hundreds of lives. Mexico ranks high in documented serial killings, with estimates suggesting dozens of active or historical cases, though underreporting due to corruption, cartel influence, and limited investigative resources obscures the full scope. Notable figures include Gregorio Cárdenas Hernández, the country’s first widely recognized serial killer, and Juana Barraza, the “Little Old Lady Killer.” This expanded article explores an extensive list of key cases, drawing from historical records, police investigations, and media reports, highlighting patterns of violence that reflect deep-seated inequalities and impunity.

Historical Cases

Mexico’s earliest documented serial killers emerged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, often targeting vulnerable populations amid social upheaval.

Francisco Guerrero Pérez: Known as “El Chalequero” (The Vest Ripper), Guerrero was active in Mexico City from 1880 to 1888 and again in 1908. He murdered at least 20 prostitutes, slashing their throats and mutilating their bodies in a manner reminiscent of Jack the Ripper. His motive appeared to be sexual sadism. Arrested in 1888, he was sentenced to death but released after 20 years due to a presidential pardon. He resumed killing upon release and was executed in 1910.

Felícitas Sánchez Aguillón: Dubbed the “Woman Ogre of the Roma Neighborhood,” Sánchez operated a human trafficking ring in Mexico City from 1930 to 1941. She murdered about 50 babies, facilitating illegal adoptions and killing those she couldn’t sell by dismembering, burning, or dumping their bodies in storm drains. She committed suicide before sentencing.

Gregorio Cárdenas Hernández: Dubbed “The Tacuba Strangler,” Cárdenas was Mexico’s first infamous serial killer, active in 1942. A law student and seemingly ordinary man, he strangled four young women—three prostitutes and one 16-year-old student—burying their bodies in his garden in Tacuba, Mexico City. His crimes shocked the nation, leading to his confession and commitment to a psychiatric hospital. Motivated by sexual impulses and possible mental illness, he became a symbol of rehabilitation, earning a pardon in 1976 after writing memoirs and painting while institutionalized. He died in 1999.

Los Huipas: A group of indigenous Mayo ethnic serial killers led by Eusebio Yocupicio Soto, active in Huatabampo, Sonora, in the early 1950s. Considered Mexico’s first indigenous serial killers, they murdered multiple victims. Arrested in 1950 after a complaint, they were sentenced to death, commuted to 30 years after abolition.

Delfina and María de Jesús González: The “Las Poquianchis” sisters operated a prostitution ring from the 1950s to 1964 across states like Guanajuato and Jalisco. They lured young women with job offers, enslaved them with drugs and violence, and murdered those who resisted or became ill. Estimates suggest over 90 victims, including fetuses from forced pregnancies. Their methods included beatings, starvation, and barbaric punishments like the “royal bed” with barbed wire. Exposed in 1964 after an escapee alerted authorities, they were sentenced to 40 years each. Delfina died in a prison accident in 1968, María del Carmen from cancer in 1969, María Luisa went mad in an asylum, and María de Jesús was released and vanished.

Magdalena Solís: Known as the “High Priestess of Blood,” Solís led a blood cult in Yerbabuena, Tamaulipas, in the 1960s. She and her brother Eleazar orchestrated ritual murders, claiming 8-15 victims through human sacrifice, blood-drinking, and torture to gain supernatural powers. Motive: Religious delusion and control. Arrested in 1963, she was sentenced to 30 years.

Fernando Hernández Leyva: Active from the 1980s to 1990s across multiple states, Leyva confessed to over 100 murders but was convicted of 33, with suspicions up to 137, making him one of Mexico’s most prolific. Methods included strangulation and shooting; motives: Robbery and sexual assault. Convicted in 1986.

Pedro Padilla Flores: Known as “El Asesino de Rio Bravo,” he killed three women in 1986 along the Rio Bravo. Methods: Strangulation; motive: Sexual violence. He escaped to the U.S. after arrest.

Adolfo de Jesús Constanzo: Leader of a narco-satanic cult in Matamoros, Constanzo was active in the 1980s. He and followers, including Sara Aldrete, committed at least 25 ritual murders, torturing and dismembering victims for “protection” in drug trafficking. Notable victim: American student Mark Kilroy in 1989. Motive: Occult rituals involving human sacrifice. Constanzo ordered his own death during a 1989 police raid to avoid capture.

Sara Aldrete: Known as “La Madrina,” Aldrete was Constanzo’s high priestess in the Matamoros cult, involved in the ritual killings of at least 25. Sentenced to 62 years in 1994.

1990s Cases

Agustín Salas del Valle: Dubbed “Jack the Strangler” or “El Estrangulador,” active in Mexico City’s central zone from 1989 to 1992. He intercepted women (mostly sex workers aged 20-40), took them to hotels, raped, and strangled them with improvised objects like clothing or cords. Convicted of at least 8 murders, though up to 30 attributed; some cases unresolved due to copycats.

Gabriel Garza Hoth: Known as “The Black Widower,” he killed three women—wives and lovers—in Mexico City between 1991 and 1998 through poisoning or strangulation for financial gain. Convicted and imprisoned.

Edgar Álvarez Cruz and Francisco Granados: Responsible for the “Feminicides of the Cotton Field” in Ciudad Juárez, they kidnapped, raped, tortured, and killed at least 8-10 young women in satanic rituals from 1993 to 2003, suspected of 14 total. Cruz drugged Granados to assist. Convicted.

The Ciudad Juárez Rebels: A gang that killed 8-14 women in Ciudad Juárez from 1995 to 1996, claiming to work for Abdul Latif Sharif. Methods: Rape and strangulation; motive: Sexual violence. Convicted of 8.

Abdul Latif Sharif: An Egyptian chemist in Ciudad Juárez, convicted of one murder in 1995 but suspected in dozens of the femicides from 1993 onward. Died in prison in 2006.

David Avendaño Ballina: Alleged leader of a sex servant gang known as “The Hamburger,” active from 1997 to 2007. They robbed and poisoned clients, killing at least 4. Arrested in 2008.

Jorge Riosse: Serial killer of prostitutes in the 1990s, responsible for multiple murders. Details sparse, but linked to at least several killings.

Cannibal of Chihuahua: Believed to have killed up to 30 children in the 1990s through cannibalistic acts. Identity and exact details unclear.

Railroad Killer: Responsible for at least 23 homicides in the 1990s, possibly referring to Ángel Maturino Reséndiz, a Mexican active in the U.S. but with ties to Mexico.

Matameretrices: Killed more than 20 women in the 1990s. Specific identity unknown, possibly a group or alias.

Modern Cases (2000s Onward)

Contemporary serial killers in Mexico often exploit urban anonymity, with motives ranging from robbery to misogyny, amid high femicide rates.

Juana Barraza: Known as “La Mataviejitas” (The Little Old Lady Killer), Barraza, a former wrestler, targeted elderly women in Mexico City from the late 1990s to 2006. She posed as a social worker to gain entry, then strangled or bludgeoned at least 16 victims (suspected up to 48+), robbing them afterward. Motivated by resentment toward her abusive mother, she was arrested in 2006 fleeing a crime scene. Convicted of 16 murders, she received 759 years but will serve a maximum of 60 under Mexican law. She remains imprisoned, working as a gym instructor.

Raúl Osiel Marroquín: Known as “El Sádico” or “The Rainbow Killer,” a former military member active in Mexico City from 2005 to 2006. He kidnapped, tortured, and strangled four gay men, motivated by hate and discrimination. Operated with accomplice Juan Enrique Madrid; kidnapped two more. Convicted and sentenced to 300 years.

José Luis Calva: The “Cannibal Poet” murdered at least three women in Mexico City in 2007, dismembering and eating parts of their bodies. Police found fried human flesh and remains in his apartment. Motive: Sexual sadism and cannibalism. He hanged himself in prison before trial.

Andrés Ulises Castillo Villarreal: The “Chihuahua Ripper” raped and murdered at least 12 men in Chihuahua City from 2009 to 2015. He lured victims with drugs, killed them, dismembered bodies with a saw, and left toys as signatures. Motive: Sexual violence. Confessed to 12 but suspected of more; sentenced to 120 years.

César Armando Librado Legorreta: Known as “El Coqueto,” a bus driver who killed at least 10 female passengers on his route from 2011 onward, raping and strangling them. Arrested in 2012.

Juan Carlos Hernández Béjar and Patricia Martínez Bernal: The “Monsters of Ecatepec” killed at least 20 women in Ecatepec from 2012 to 2018, dismembering them and feeding hearts to dogs. Arrested pushing body parts in a stroller. Motive: Unknown beyond brutality. They were convicted and imprisoned.

Flor Cazarín González: Known as “La Madrina,” she and her son murdered up to 25 in Chihuahua City from 2016 to 2018 for robbery. She drugged, stabbed, or strangled victims after befriending them. Convicted of two but linked to more.

Óscar García Guzmán: The “Monster of Toluca,” active from 2019, killed at least 3 women (strangled and buried in his home). Arrested in 2019 after bodies found; expressed concern for his pets. Motive: Attraction to killing since youth, interest in serial killers and satanism. Sentenced.

Andrés Mendoza: The “Butcher of Atizapán,” active from 2001 to 2021, murdered and cannibalized 19 victims (17 women, 1 man, 1 child), suspected of 30. Bodies found buried under his home. Sentenced to life.

Miguel Cortés Miranda: The “Iztacalco Serial Killer” or “Mexican Dahmer” was arrested in April 2024 for murdering 17-year-old María José after sexual assault. Searches revealed bones, IDs, and diaries linking him to at least 7-20+ women, including students and colleagues, from 2012 onward. He admired Dahmer and Bundy, confessing to international killings. Motive: Sexual sadism and narcissism. Died in prison in April 2025 from intoxication/cardiac arrest before trial, halting further investigations.

Rosario Alfonso: Active 2018-2020, murdered at least 3 women. Sentenced to 70 years; absolved of a fourth.

Omar Santos Loera: Killed 3 from 2010-2020, using a saber on two; murdered girlfriend. Escaped once, committed suicide before trial.

Bordo de Xohiaca Jackal: Taxi driver who kidnapped and killed victims in the first decade of 2000s.

Cannibal of Guerrero: Devoured victims in the 2000s.

Young Girls’ Killer: Active in 2000s, targeted young girls.

Taxi Drivers’ Killer: Killed taxi drivers in 2000s.

Tinaco Killer: Killed 16 women from 2011.

Bridegroom Killer: Cut locks of hair as trophies from victims, active from 2011.

Ciudad Juárez Femicides and Unsolved Cases

The Ciudad Juárez femicides represent one of Mexico’s most infamous series of unsolved killings, with over 500 women murdered from 1993 to 2011, many young factory workers abducted, raped, and dumped in deserts. Suspects include Abdul Latif Sharif, an Egyptian chemist convicted of one murder but suspected in dozens, and gang members like Los Rebeldes. Motives: Sexual violence, organ trafficking rumors, cartel involvement. Many cases remain open due to corruption and incompetence.

Highway of Death: Unsolved series along Federal Highway 85 from 2020-present, with 71 proven victims (up to 200+ suspected). Abductions by armed men, torture, and murders; suspected cartel or lone actors.

Toy Car Murders: In Sinaloa from 2019-2023, 5-6 car thieves shot, with toy cars left on bodies. Believed vigilante justice by “El Asesino del Carrito.”

Cuauhtémoc Killings: 5 women raped and throats slit in Mexico City in 2021, bodies in vacant lots. Suspect: Mario Alberto Berrios Muñoz, killed in 2023.

Araceli Vázquez Case: In 2023, falsely accused as a serial killer; actually innocent, highlighting investigative errors in femicide cases.

Mexico’s serial killer phenomenon is exacerbated by cartel violence, femicide epidemics (over 10 women killed daily), and investigative failures. Cases like Cortés highlight impunity, with stalled probes allowing killers to operate for years. Recent trends show rising ritual and robbery-motivated killings, underscoring the need for forensic reforms and gender violence protections.