Mexican priest killed in Michoacan

Jose Alfredo Lopez Guillen was the third Mexican priest to be found murdered in the country this week

The victim was found murdered in Michoacan on a highway between Puruandiro and Zinaparo on Sunday
The victim was found murdered in Michoacan on a highway between Puruandiro and Zinaparo on Sunday

A third priest was found murdered this week in Mexico.

The latest victim was found murdered in Michoacan on a highway between Puruandiro and Zinaparo on Sunday, and has been identified as Jose Alfredo Lopez Guillen, the state attorney general's office said.

Autopsy results, which revealed gunshot wounds to be the cause of death, suggested the priest was killed five days before his body was found, the office said.

The murder comes after a decade of drug violence in Mexico that has frequently touched the Roman Catholic church, with 31 priests killed in the 10 years to 2015, according to rights group Christian Solidarity Worldwide.

The killing came days after two other priests, identified as Alejo Jimenez and Jose Juarez, were abducted violently from their church in the city of Poza Rica and found dead in the Gulf state of Veracruz.