Morena Federal Deputy Zenyazen Escobar Found Shot Dead in Veracruz

Federal deputy Zenyazen Escobar García, 42, a Morena legislator representing Córdoba's District 16 in Veracruz, was found dead of a gunshot wound inside his vehicle on the Veracruz–Xalapa federal highway near La Gloria, in the municipality of Puente Nacional, on the morning of September 4. Veracruz state prosecutors opened an investigation, and Governor Rocío Nahle said the federal Attorney General's Office (FGR) had taken over the case; no motive had been established. Escobar previously served as Veracruz's state education secretary under then-governor Cuitláhuac García before entering the Chamber of Deputies. The Chamber's Board of Directors, led by Raúl Bolaños-Cacho Cué, and Morena's caucus coordinator Ricardo Monreal — who urged against speculation — presided over a moment of silence and announced a tribute, adding the sitting deputy to 2026's wave of assassinations targeting Mexican politicians.