Mexico joins investigation into killing of Spanish exchange student in Morelos

Tacoronte was fourth female student from Morelos university killed in seven months

Mexico’s federal government joined an investigation Monday into the stabbing death of a 21-year-old Spanish exchange student in the central state of Morelos, President Claudia Sheinbaum said. Sheinbaum expressed condolences over the killing of Claudia Tacoronte Aguilera and said Mexico’s Security and Citizen Protection Secretariat was working with the Morelos Attorney General’s Office on the case. The Foreign Affairs Secretariat is also in contact with Spanish consular authorities, Sheinbaum said during her morning news conference.

Tacoronte, a student at the University of Granada in Spain, was fatally stabbed Saturday night near the Casa de la Cultura in Cuautla, about 55 miles south of Mexico City. Initial accounts indicated Tacoronte may have been attacked during a robbery, but prosecutors said investigators are working to determine the circumstances surrounding her death.

Authorities have not established a motive for the killing or announced an arrest. Morelos prosecutors said the case is being investigated under a femicide protocol, which requires authorities to examine the death of a woman from a gender-based perspective.

Tacoronte, who was from Spain’s Canary Islands, had arrived in Mexico in August to study at the Autonomous University of the State of Morelos as part of an international exchange program. She was studying early childhood education in Granada and had been in Mexico for about a month before her death.

Morelos Attorney General Fernando Blumenkron Escobar said his office contacted the Spanish Consulate after the killing and was coordinating with Mexican and Spanish authorities as the investigation continued. Morelos Gov. Margarita González Saravia instructed state agencies to provide assistance and maintain contact with the university.

In Spain, the University of Granada held a minute of silence Monday across its campuses and activated its international assistance protocol following Tacoronte’s death. University Rector Pedro Mercado said officials contacted about 20 University of Granada students who are studying in Mexico to provide information and assistance after the killing.

The Autonomous University of the State of Morelos condemned the killing and called for an immediate and thorough investigation with a gender perspective. The university has also called on authorities to strengthen security measures and guarantee safe conditions for its students.

Tacoronte’s killing has renewed concerns about violence affecting students in Morelos. She was the fourth female student from the Autonomous University of the State of Morelos to be killed in seven months, according to a review of the cases by El País.