Inmate Found Hanged in Cancún Prison Days After Her Arrest

Cancún, Quintana Roo — A 36-year-old woman was found hanged in her cell at the Cancún prison early Thursday, seven days after she was booked on suspicion of qualified homicide, officials said.

The inmate, identified as Silvia “N,” alias “La Chivis,” was a native of Cárdenas, Tabasco, and is described by authorities as an alleged member of a criminal organization. Her prison intake record shows she entered the Centro de Reinserción Social (CERESO) on Sept. 3 as a suspected participant in a killing in the Santa Cecilia neighborhood.

Prison records indicate she turned up dead at the facility seven days later.

As recently as Monday, the State Prosecutor’s Office announced her arrest at its weekly security briefing, describing her as the suspected perpetrator of a homicide committed to seize 130,000 pesos (roughly $7,000), allegedly carried out with three male accomplices.

Screams Prompt Discovery

The woman died around 2 a.m. Thursday, when surveillance staff at the CERESO heard screams from one of the cell blocks. A fellow inmate found her hanging by the neck.

Personnel from the State Prosecutor’s Office (FGE) went to the prison, located near Supermanzana 99, to open an investigation into what was reported as an apparent suicide.

Initial findings indicated the body was suspended by the neck from a white rope in the bathroom area of cell 207. Medical staff who arrived at the scene confirmed she had no vital signs.

A preliminary examination found an incomplete, ascending groove consistent with a hanging mark, with no other visible injuries. The body was taken to the Forensic Medical Service (SEMEFO) for an autopsy to determine the cause of death.

At the time of her death, the inmate was facing criminal proceedings for qualified homicide in the case of a body found with signs of violence in the Santa Cecilia neighborhood.