Human remains found in an Indianapolis field belong to a man the FBI believes was killed by the notorious MS-13 gang.
The remains were found in a wooded area of Grassy Creek Regional Park in Indianapolis on Aug. 1 and Aug. 2.
DNA from the remains was examined by experts at the University of Indianapolis Human Identification Center, who eliminated all other potential donors except for Israel Anibal Mejia-Martinez.
Mejia-Martinez’s last address was in Usultan, El Salvador.
People who live in the area of Grassy Creek Regional Park noted that the search for the remains took several days.
Alerted about the death, he added: “That is news and is it a shocker. Well, it’s like, wow. Ok.”
“It’s a dumping ground, if you want to get as far away from the actual crime as possible, it would be ideal. Why here? I don’t know,” Parran said.
Another resident watched earthmoving equipment and an FBI van come and go.
“I know there’s plenty of ghosts out here because my kids are scared at night,” the resident said.
Anyone with information about the death of Mejia-Martinez is urged to contact the FBI at (614) 849-1765.
MS-13 Violence
MS-13’s motto is “kill, rape, control.”The gang, also known as Mara Salvatrucha, was initially formed by Salvadoran immigrants that fled to Los Angeles during the civil war in their home country.
A huge deportation effort in the early 2000s, which expelled thousands of MS-13 members from the United States back to El Salvador, contributed to the gang taking hold in Central America. El Salvador is now the gang’s operational base. The Justice Department estimates around 40,000 members live in Central America and 10,000 live in the United States.
“MS-13 has created a brand—like Los Zetas in Mexico—based on its reputation for engaging in unspeakable acts of brutality using machete and knife attacks against those that cross it,” Bunker said.
“This barbaric reputation greatly aids the gang in its collection of street taxes from local merchants and helps it to protect its turf and drug trade against opposing gangs who are afraid to face the ‘street terrorism’ it can wage against them.”
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