The bodies of six teenagers have been found days after they were abducted from a Mexican farm.
Alongside the deceased, prosecutors say one survivor was found at a ranch in the remote region of Zacatecas, a north-central state in Mexico.
The survivor suffered serious head wounds but his condition is stable.
While the dead have not officially been identified, a government insider said the teenagers were all aged between 14 and 18 years old.
However, according to Reuters, the source added that they corresponded to the same seven missing boys who were kidnapped earlier this month.
They were enjoying a family weekend at the ranch when a gang of armed men broke into the home at 4am on Sunday.
Spanish newspaper El Pais said the men then kidnapped the group of youngsters.
A huge search operation began, including 300 soldiers from the Secretariat of National Defense, the National Guard and police officers from across Villanueva.
Huge protests erupted in the state after the kidnapping, with demonstrators blocking the Zacatecas-Malpaso highway on Tuesday.
A victim’s mother told the newspaper: “I want my son, I want my sons.
“We want them alive. I am not part of the government.
“If I were, I’d be in a helicopter.”
The reason behind the kidnappings remains unknown, but local sources say it was likely linked to violent criminal gangs.
Zacatecas is considered to be among Mexico’s most violent states.
Between January and August alone, more than 500 people have been murdered there, government data show.
Last month, five young men were executed on camera by a drug cartel in the neighboring state of Jalisco.
