Three women beaten to death have been found in sparsely traveled areas of Puerto Vallarta so far this May; local media suspect the possible involvement of a serial attacker.
On the morning of Thursday, May 21, a woman approximately 35 years old was found dead in the Parque Las Palmas residential subdivision.
The victim shares characteristics with the other two women found dead on the streets of Puerto Vallarta: all were between 30 and 35 years old, fair-skinned, and had tattoos.
Today, Friday, May 22, the collective Madres Buscadoras: Una Luz para Nuestros Desaparecidos (Searching Mothers: A Light for Our Missing) confirmed that the young woman found dead has been identified as Elizabeth Galindo Martínez, 22.
Elizabeth disappeared on April 29 in Santa María Canchesdá, within the municipality of Temascalcingo in the State of Mexico.
Local media outlets, such as Noticias PV and Tribuna de la Bahía, noted that all three women were abandoned on deserted streets with their blouses pulled up, exposing their chests.
The second discovery occurred on May 15 at a roadside rest stop along the highway to Mismaloya.
The first victim—who shared similar characteristics and was killed using the same modus operandi—was found dead on May 10 on the road leading to the El Pirulí ranch, in the Chimborazo area.
DEBATE reached out to the Jalisco State Attorney General’s Office to ask if they are investigating the possibility of a serial femicide; the agency responded that details regarding the investigation are being kept confidential to safeguard the proceedings.
However, they affirmed that they are working to solve all three crimes, and thus, the theory regarding a suspected serial femicide has not been officially confirmed.
Lethal violence against women remains an alarming issue in the country. According to the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System (SESNSP), 721 cases classified as femicide were recorded nationwide during 2025.
At the local level, the state of Jalisco closed out 2025 with 34 reported femicides, according to data from the Mide Jalisco platform. As 2026 begins, the figures do not present an encouraging outlook; in January alone, 53 femicides were reported across Mexico—three of which occurred in Jalisco—underscoring the urgent need to address this security crisis.
Source: debate
