Teen’s Murder in Tulum: Hitman Paid 5,000 Pesos

Tulum, Quintana Roo — The investigation into the homicide of Joel Lizandro, a 15-year-old adolescent from Tekax, Yucatán, has revealed new details about the crime: the alleged hitman received only 5,000 pesos to take the minor’s life.

Joel traveled to Tulum at the end of October with a cousin, under the promise of work as a “chalan” on a construction site. Days later, he stopped communicating with his family and was reported missing, leading to the issuance of an Amber Alert on November 19.

The adolescent was murdered in the early morning of November 9, beside a restaurant in the coastal area of Tulum. At that time, his identity was unknown. The autopsy confirmed that he received three gunshot wounds from a 9 mm caliber firearm, one of them in the thorax, which caused his death due to massive hemorrhage with penetrating thoracic trauma.

The arrest of Juan Carlos “N”, of Colombian origin, and Pedro Antonio “N”, alias “El 38”, allowed for the clarification of the crime. According to the Fiscalía, Juan Carlos was the one who executed the minor, and he did so in exchange for 5,000 pesos, paid by members of the criminal group for which he operated. The investigations indicate that the minor was being used for drug retail activities.

This same hitman had reportedly received 10,000 pesos days earlier for the murder of Melchor, which occurred on October 30 in Akumal, a case for which both detainees are already linked to legal proceedings. Authorities secured two 9 mm caliber weapons and a .223 rifle during the capture of the implicated individuals.

The Fiscalía of Quintana Roo, through the recent press conference of the security table, confirmed that there are no more missing adolescents from Yucatán related to alleged recruitment on construction sites, as circulated on social media. The only identified case is that of Joel.