OAXACA, Mexico - State prosecutors confirmed on Wednesday that journalist Francisco Leyva was found dead in the southern state of Oaxaca, marking at least the fourth journalist killing in Mexico since June, the Attorney General's Office said in a statement.
The prosecutor's office said it has initiated investigations into the circumstances surrounding Leyva's death and has requested the assistance of the Special Prosecutor's Office for Crimes Against Freedom of Expression. The statement did not provide further details on the cause of death or the location where his body was found.
Leyva, 60, had built a body of reporting that focused on alleged government corruption and on violence tied to criminal groups active in Oaxaca, according to the statement. His reporting often scrutinized local authorities and criminal activity in the region.
"He was a journalist critical of our government, like many other journalists who exercise their right every day to question, point out issues, and freely express their opinions," wrote Oaxaca Governor Salomon Jara on social media.
Press freedom organizations and observers regularly describe Mexico as one of the most dangerous non-war-zone countries in the world for journalists. Those groups also say that the vast majority of crimes against media workers go unpunished, a pattern that authorities and advocates have repeatedly noted.
Earlier this month, authorities confirmed that human remains located on a property in the eastern state of Veracruz belonged to journalist Roxana Guzmán, who had been abducted about a month earlier by an armed group, officials and investigators said. Separately, the organization Article 19 reported that journalists Luis Angel Lopez and Manuel Moreno were killed in June in connection with their reporting.
According to Article 19's data cited by authorities and rights groups, at least five journalists have been killed so far in 2026. Last year, Article 19 recorded seven journalists killed while carrying out reporting duties. Reporters Without Borders registered nine journalist killings in Mexico last year, describing it as the deadliest year of the past three.
Context and implications - The sequence of incidents this year has intensified concerns among media organizations and human rights advocates about the safety of reporters, particularly those covering corruption and criminal activity. State authorities in Oaxaca have moved to involve federal-level prosecutors focused on crimes against freedom of expression as the investigation into Leyva's death proceeds.