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NOGALES, Ariz. (AP) A southern Arizona student and father expecting his first child has been found dead in Nogales, Mexico, with what authorities say are signs of torture.
Sonora State Police say the body of 21-year-old Juan Carlos Navarro of Nogales, Ariz., was found wrapped in a blanket on a roadside in the upscale Colonia Kennedy neighborhood.
The Nogales International reports Navarro had been shot once in the head. He was a 2008 graduate of Nogales High School and was taking college courses with an eye toward a degree in business administration.
Family members tell KGUN-TV Navarro was in school to give his girlfriend and their unborn child a better life.
I’d like to point out that, at this point, that’s all we have. No details. No background. We have no idea what an “Arizona student and father” was doing in Mexico. Could have been work-related or school-related. Could have been visiting family. Could have been drug-related. He could have been in the wrong place at the wrong time. A case of mistaken identity. We don’t know.
If we read between the lines, we can at least speculate as to some answers – or raise more questions. Nogales was where the body was found, in an “upscale” neighborhood. The victim graduated from high school in Nogales. Putting two and two together, I’d say it’s likely he has family there, and is probably a Mexican citizen. The whole “in school to give his girlfriend and their unborn child a better life” thing would indicate that he was living in the United States, going to school. No idea if his girlfriend is an Americano, or if he planned to have his child born in the USA. (But I think we all know the answer to that one.)
Nogales is a stone’s throw from the U.S. border. It’s near Tucson, and near what’s become the murder capital of the U.S. of A., Phoenix. I’m not going to make any wild assumptions here. Too soon for speculation. But given all the crap that’s been going down between the US and Mexico, the ATF mess, Arizona and the border issues, I think this one should be pinging radar, at least until we have more details.