Alma Verónica and Photos of A Victim Who Was Nailed to Tree By His Captors in Guaymas, Sonora

A Victim Tries to Escape 

On Wednesday, September 7, 2022, a kidnapping victim, who was being held for ransom at a safehouse in Guaymas, grabbed the firearm and began trying to shoot his way out of captivity. 

He was just one of the five captives who were being held against their will inside the home, which was located on Orquídeas Street, between Plutarco Elías and Curbina Streets, in the Burócrata neighborhood of Guaymas, an area reported to be controlled by Caborca Cartel subgroup La Plaza. All five victims had been nabbed at various times and locations two days earlier by the kidnappers, who were traveling inside a white Nissan double cab pickup truck. 

Neighbors heard the gunshots coming from the home and called the emergency line to report the gunfire. Because the home in question was located near an elementary school, a “code red” was activated. 

Dispatchers sent state and municipal police officers, as well as Navy (SEMAR) soldiers, to the reported location of the shooting. 

When personnel arrived in the area, they “saw two men in the front of a house, who were carrying firearms”, according to both Opinion Sonora and La Prensa. 

The Raid 

The article details that at approximately 7:30 am, the assembled group of police officers and soldiers raided the home. A teacher at a classroom in Nicolás Bravo elementary school heard the gunfire of the raid, ducked for cover, and recorded a video shown below. 

In the video, the teacher says “I’m lying on the floor – gunfire at this moment. I’m in my classroom. Please don’t let anyone come [to school]. I’m lying on the floor – gunfire here, outside the school. I’m sorry to inform you that this situation is real.” 

Classes at the school were suspended for the day shortly after the teacher’s video was shared on social media. The press release about the raid, however, alleges all the gunfire occurred within the safehouse and the operation “never put the surrounding civilian population at risk.” 

According to the Opinion Sonora article, authorities “secured the criminals”, and “two hired killers were arrested”. 

And yet, the official press release about the incident made no mention of anyone being arrested or killed during the incident. There is no information such as the names of any detainees. 

Whether this is indicative of the kidnappers being quietly released by authorities, or if details of their arrest are being purposely withheld for other reasons is unclear at this time. This is important to keep in mind when reading the rest of this story. 

Eight firearms, ammo and a red Nissan Versa (note: not the white pickup which was used in the abductions) was seized from the property.

Rescuing the Victims 

After authorities secured the home, they located and rescued the five kidnapping victims. The five victims are Alma Veronica, 31, Jose Luis, 48, Ramon Antonio, 36, Ramon Ricardo, 42, and Jesus Javier, 19. Which among them grabbed the gun from a kidnapper and what happened after is not stated in any articles released so far. 

When officers approached one of the victims, a 19 year old resident of Valle de Empalme named Jesús Javier, they noticed that he was standing next to a tree trunk, unable to move towards them. Its likely this tree stump was located in the backyard of the house, which appears to be walled off and concealed from outside observers. 

Once the officers got closet they realized that Jesús Javier had been nailed to the tree trunk by his captors, evidently as a form of torture. 

Opinion Sonora details that authorities “rescued a young man who was nailed to a tree and had the fingers of one of his hands amputated.” 

La Prensa writes “the 19-year-old was released, who showed signs of torture on different parts of his body, especially his feet and hands, was evidcently nailed to the trunk of a tree. Because of this, the presence of the Red Cross was requested so that the victim could receive first aid and then he was transferred to a hospital, as he also showed injuries which included the amputation of fingers on one hand.” 

Twitter account Calvarie Locus posted photos that are alleged to show the state Jesus Javier was found in. The photos seem to have been taken as he was being transported and admitted to a hospital. In the photos, the toes of two of his feet appear to have been nailed to the stump as well as two fingers, severed from his hand, are visible above his left foot. 

The photos appear to show that a large section of the tree stump was cut off/removed from the ground and transported to the hospital, still attached to Jesus Javier. This was likely done so that medical professionals could evaluate how to best remove his feet from the stump without creating further injury.

The Kidnapping Group Wasn’t Finished With Them Yet

According to official statements made by the state Attorney General’s Office (FGE), all five of the rescued victims were offered protection measures such as moving them to an area outside of Guaymas or temporary bodyguards who would stay with them if they chose to remain in the area. One of the victims, Alma Veronica, 31, refused both options. 

Alma signed and fingerprinted an official FGE document stating that she was refusing the protection being offered. 

Despite this, municipal police officers still accompanied and guarded Alma after she left FGE facilities. She again dismissed the protection detail, saying she did not need the protection according to the municipal police report. 

As it turns out, the victims were actually in need of just that kind of protection. The local Sonora newspaper Tribuna writes that, according to unofficial information: “The people who were rescued, [...] were then ‘hunted’ by the people who had kidnapped them.”

At 8:13 pm on the same day they were rescued, armed individuals tried to enter the hospital where Jesus Javier was being treated and attempted attack him, according to Tribuna, Sonora Informativo and Valor por Tamaulipas. 

Tribuna writes “they tried to enter the IMSS – Bienestar hospital, but due to a strong police presence, it was impossible for them to get in to finish off the young Jesus Javier, 19 years old, who was inside the hospital with several torture wounds.” 

Then at 8:30 pm, Alma Veronica was shot to death, killed just 13 hours after she was rescued from the safehouse. According to the official FGE statement, Alma was killed “in the streets” of the El Rastro neighborhood in Guaymas. Proceso seems to confirm the shooting took place on the streets, writing “Verónica was shot to death on Third Avenue.” 

According to Tribuna, she was “outside her home in El Rastro neighborhood, was riddled with several bullet wounds and was left lying in the middle of the street.” They add that, unofficially, the woman “ran away” from the Municipal Police officers who were guarding her home. 

Valor por Tamaulipas article writes that, “Initial reports on social media alleged that Alma was a drug distributor, along with a family member.” 

A tweet from Calvarie Locus alleges something similar, saying “Follow up: The woman who was rescued this morning, Alma Veronica RL, was executed this afternoon after being liberated. She was a known drug distributor along with her aunt in El Rastro Playa. “ 

Whether there is truth to this and Alma was a member of La Plaza, along with her aunt, is unknown.

Sources: FGE Statement, FGE Press Release, Opinion Sonora Article 1, Article 2, El Sol de Hermosillo, La Silla Rota, RositaDeHmo, Proyecto Puente, Calvarie Locus, La Prensa, El Imparcial, Mural, Mexico Detail Zero, Sonora Informativo Post 1, Post 2, Post 3,  Proceso, Tribuna