The Veracruz state prosecutor’s office confirmed on Friday that human remains found during the search for journalist Roxana Guzmán have been scientifically identified as hers. Guzmán, who ran the digital news outlet Pulso Informativo del Sureste, was seized from her home in Nanchital on 2 June by two masked men armed with rifles, an attack captured on video and widely circulated.

Eight people have been arrested on charges of aggravated homicide, the prosecutor’s office said. Among them are four municipal police officers from Ixhuatlán del Sureste — Julio César, Luis Enrique, Juan Carlos, and Ismael — who, according to the investigation, provided resources, food, and logistical support to the criminal group. Three other men, identified by the aliases Delta 1, Delta 7, and Delta 11, are accused of participating in the abduction and, together with a woman known as La Hiena, in the killing. The arrests followed intelligence work and a lead provided by Delta 7, who reportedly guided investigators to the site where the remains were recovered.

Guzmán’s murder is the third killing of a journalist in Veracruz this year, according to press freedom organisations. The state has long been one of the most dangerous in Mexico for the press; Article 19 says 34 journalists have been killed there since 2000. Guzmán herself had survived the 2017 murder of her partner, journalist Carlos Fernández Escalante, and had previously sought protection from state authorities after alleged harassment. She returned to Veracruz and launched her news site, which covered local crime and community complaints.

The federal Attorney General’s office has taken over the case. The eight detainees have been handed to a judge, who will determine their legal status in an initial hearing. Press freedom groups, including Article 19 and Reporters Without Borders, have called for an exhaustive investigation that identifies not only the material perpetrators but also the intellectual authors, and for guarantees of non-repetition. The investigation remains open.