Pay 200,000 Pesos or End Up Like the Mayor’s Son: Tecamachalco, Puebla, Merchants Report Extortion Calls After Teen Mateo Hernández Is Kidnapped and Killed
Merchants in Tecamachalco, Puebla, say they are getting extortion calls demanding up to 200,000 pesos, with a warning that they will end up like Mateo Hernández. He was the teenage son of Mayor Mateo Hernández López, and he was kidnapped and killed this week. El Universal Puebla and UnoTV reported on Sept. 25, 2026, that recordings of at least two calls began circulating in WhatsApp groups and on social media that day.
Kidnapped on his way to class
Puebla’s state Attorney General’s Office (FGE) said the boy left home on Sept. 19 to attend a course at his Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (BUAP) high school. His relatives then received calls saying he was being held and demanding money for his release, Proceso reported on Sept. 24. The FGE put his age at 17; several outlets reported 16. His body was found wrapped in blankets on the morning of Sept. 23 beside the Azumbilla–Tlacotepec road in the neighboring municipality of Nicolás Bravo.
The FGE told Proceso that it had used surveillance video to trace part of the teen’s route and a vehicle allegedly involved. It did not say how much ransom was demanded or whether any was paid. It also did not confirm local reports, including one from El Blog del Narco, that a threatening message was left with the body. No arrests had been announced as of Sept. 25. “Today I am not speaking to you as mayor, I am speaking to you as a dad,” Hernández López said in a statement. He said he would stay in office.
Milenio’s video report on the case:
“The people of Jalisco”
In one recording published by UnoTV, a man calling himself Abraham Morales, alias “Doble Cero,” says he represents “the people of Jalisco.” He demands 200,000 pesos from a feed-store owner so the business can be “aligned” with the group, and ends with “cuatro letras presentes,” a phrase often used for the CJNG. In another call, a man demands 100,000 pesos and claims the mayor’s son was taken because the mayor refused to cooperate with “the organization.”
These claims come only from the callers. Authorities have not verified the recordings or identified who made them, and the FGE has not linked the kidnapping to any cartel. Quadratín noted that nine alleged members of a Tecamachalco cell called La Barredora, reported to be linked to the CJNG, were arrested in January 2026. It added that officials have not tied that group to this case.
Azteca Noticias’ report on the extortion calls:
Sources
- El Universal Puebla, Sept. 25, 2026
- UnoTV, Sept. 25, 2026
- Proceso, Sept. 24, 2026
- Quadratín Puebla, Sept. 25, 2026
- El Blog del Narco, Sept. 25, 2026
- Photos: N+, Sept. 24, 2026 (photo credited to Los Titulares)
Reported Sept. 26, 2026, from the outlets listed above. The extortion recordings have not been authenticated by authorities, no arrests had been announced, and no official has linked the killing to any criminal group.