Ecatepec’s monster couple to be probed over another femicide

A couple, nicknamed Monsters of Ecatepec, arrested last year for femicide in Ecatepec in the outskirts of Mexico City, are now being investigated for killing another woman, specialized prosecutor’s office for femicide of the Attorney General’s Office said on Sunday.

The prosecutor’s office had said it reviewed evidence of the suspected involvement of Juan Carlos “N” and Patricia “N” in the death of a woman in Apr. 2018, and has decided to investigate the couple.

The prosecutor’s office added that it hoped to conclude the investigations in two months.

The couple, who confessed to having taken part in the murder of more than 10 people in the same locality, faces six charges - including three for femicide, and violation of burial and respect of human remains laws.

They also face charges of human trafficking and forced disappearances perpetrated by individuals.

The couple was arrested on Oct. 4 in Ecatepec - among the most densely populated and violent localities in the country - while pushing along a stroller containing human remains.

After their arrest, two houses were searched where authorities found eight buckets with human remains that were covered with cement, as well as a refrigerator containing body parts wrapped in plastic bags.

The authorities also rescued a two-month old baby whose mother was allegedly murdered by the couple.

The couple was in the process of selling the baby to other individuals, who were also arrested and charged with human trafficking and illegal adoption.

Two days after their arrest, they were sent to the social reintegration and penitentiary center in Ecatepec.

Their crimes, which came to light in October last year, caused outrage among the people of Mexico.

Two weeks ago, the couple were tried on a second count of femicide, although they are estimated to have killed at least 10 people and are likely to face more charges, according to sources in the judiciary.

According to National Citizens’ Observatory on Femicide data, 1,420 women were murdered between 2014 and 2017 in the State of Mexico.

In 2015, several municipalities in the State of Mexico, among them Ecatepec, issued a gender violence alert to reinforce measures to protect women against increasing number of femicide cases.