Cocopah Indigenous leader killed in northern Mexico border state

MEXICO CITY — Authorities in the northern Mexico border state of Sonora said Wednesday that a local Cucapah Indigenous leader, Aronia Wilson, has been found dead.

Known in Mexico as Cucapahs, members of the Cocopah Indian Tribe also live across the border in Arizona, near Yuma.

Sonora state prosecutors said they are questioning a person of interest in the death of Wilson, and that initial investigations point to motives related to her immediate circle of friends, family or acquaintances.

Prosecutors said they had ruled out Wilson’s “political or similar activities” as a motivating factor. They did not give a cause of death.

In 2020, the Cocopah Indian Tribe complained about a border barrier on their land, which they said would cut access to tribal members in Mexico.

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