Tijuana's body count increased again this morning. Authorities woke up to nine more corpses.
Law enforcement officials say eight of the dead had been shot in the head. They were discovered face down in a vacant lot near a residential neighborhood. A note left with the bodies said, "Here's your people, mason."
The ninth body was found wrapped in a blanket dumped along a highway a few miles away. It is no clear if the deaths are connected.
This morning's toll adds to what's been a gruesome week in Tijuana. State law enforcement authorities count at least 30 dead bodies in the city since Sunday. That's a conservative estimate and does not include murders in the nearby resort town Rosarito or Tecate.
Authorities blame drug cartels for the deaths. They say the criminal groups are fighting amongst themselves for control of the key drug smuggling routes between Tijuana and San Diego.
Also this morning, authorities are investigating two possible kidnappings in Tijuana. They say a woman may have been snatched near where the eight bodies were discovered. Authorities say a man may have been kidnapped at a shopping mall across town. It is the same mall where gunmen ambushed three policemen last Friday killing two and injuring the third.
