Mayor of Cotija, Michoacan Yolanda Sánchez. Photo: Google

By KELIN DILLON

On Monday, June 3, the National Action Party’s (PAN) Mayor of Cotija, Michoacan Yolanda Sánchez was shot to death in the Cojita city center, just one day after Mexico’s federal elections. 

The Attorney General’s Office of the State of Michoacán (FGE) reported that Sánchez was shot several times by a group of armed men in a white van while only steps outside of the Cotija’s Municipal Palace. 

Sánchez’s bodyguard, who was accompanying her at the time, was also struck by a bullet and later died when the pair were transported to Los Reyes hospital after the incident.

Though the perpetrators remain unknown and at large, Cojita has faced a recent surge in violence due to ongoing conflicts between organized crime groups the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and the Pájaros Sierra.

Sánchez was previously kidnapped by the CJNG back in September 2023 and was ultimately released from captivity days later following an investigation by Mexico’s Special Prosecutor’s Office for Missing Persons (FEPD).