Anti-drug cartel blogger kidnapped in Mexico

Social media users in Mexico who commented on cartel violence have been killed in the past

Social media users in Mexico who commented on cartel violence have been killed in the past (Getty Images)

A woman from northern Mexico, identified as a blogger who denounced drug cartel violence, has been kidnapped and possibly murdered.

The Tamaulipas state prosecutor’s office said it was investigating whether Dr Maria del Rosario Fuentes Rubio had been killed after being reported kidnapped by a gunman on Thursday.

That name coincides with the one listed on the apparently hacked Twitter account of @Miut3, whose owner was an active participant in a social-media effort to warn residents about drug gang shootouts. The hacked account was later suspended. It had shown a photo of a woman’s bloody face and warned others to close their accounts.

Social media users in Mexico who commented on cartel violence have been killed in the past. “Friends and family, my real name is Maria Del Rosario Fuentes Rubio, I’m a doctor and today, my life has come to an end,” @Miut3 posted on Twitter. It was followed by another message two minutes later. “I can only tell you to not make the same mistake I did, it doesn’t benefit you, quite the opposite as I realise today.”

Residents of Reynosa, a border city, use Twitter to warn each other about shootouts, and cartel activity.