Dismembered bodies of three people were found in the Mexican state of Guerrero, days since the disappearance of 16 people, after the city of Chilapa was overrun by gun-toting vigilantes.
The fresh kidnappings evoked chilling memories of the disappearance of 43 students in the same Mexican state last year.
The bodies of three men were found wrapped in blankets at a cemetery near Chilapa, but it is not clear if they were among the missing people, according to the Associated Press.
Gunmen took over the city of 35,000 people between 9 May and 14 May, forcing the police chief to leave.
Locals have said that the vigilantes, who claim to be 'community police', are linked to drug gangs, and that they themselves have been abducting men.
Last year, 43 students had gone missing in Iguala in Guerrero state, leading to international outrage over the escalating violence in the country.
The government had declared them dead earlier this year.
