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Bodies of suspected MS-13 gang victims found in well
Associated Press
Jan. 28, 2009, 6:19PM

TONACATEPEQUE, El Salvador — Police said on Wednesday they found the remains of what they believe to be eight to 10 gang victims at the bottom of a well outside El Salvador’s capital.

Five detectives were lowered about 100 feet into the well, where they found skulls, bones, hair and possibly the remains of a child, federal homicide investigator Israel Antonio Ticas said.

Police suspect the victims were killed by members of Mara Salvatrucha, a violent street gang with roots in Central America and strong ties in Houston. About two dozen of the gang members operate in and around Tonacatepeque, outside San Salvador. The victims appear to have been stabbed to death and then tossed into the well over the past two years, Ticas said.

Ticas said authorities are trying to confirm how many bodies the bones correspond to, but they believe they represent eight to 10 victims.

Families searching for missing loved ones went to the scene on Wednesday as detectives carefully extracted the remains from the well.

“Here everyone is afraid of gangs,â€