JUAREZ, Mexico, Oct. 26 (UPI) -- Body parts of four men were scattered throughout Juarez, Mexico, including in front of a school and child care center, officials said.
Heads, arms, feet and other body parts were found Tuesday in various locations in the border city, in the grip of a drug cartel war for nearly four years, the El Paso (Texas) Times reported Wednesday.
Police said messages left with the pieces indicated the dismemberments were an apparent act of emerging rivalries with new drug organizations
The first body parts were found Tuesday morning at an intersection. The victims' heads were near a cooler with a message reading: "New Juarez cartel, continue recruiting, we will receive you here."
Other body parts were found throughout the day, including outside of a day care, officials said. A torso was left outside an elementary school.
A spokesman with Chihuahua state prosecutor's office said the deaths were being investigated and the bodies have not been identified.
Also Tuesday, a Juarez police officer was killed when his car was riddled with gunfire, the newspaper said. Investigators said they counted 94 AK-47 rounds.
