Honduran mayor killed after being abducted from motel

A Honduran mayor was abducted and killed under unclear circumstances, marking the latest in a string of political violence cases in the Central American country, according to local officials.

Francisco Martínez Domínguez, the 49-year-old mayor of San Isidro in western Honduras, was found dead late Wednesday near a soccer field in the town of Siguatepeque. According to police, he had been forcibly taken hours earlier by armed men who stormed into a motel room where he was staying with a woman.

General Miguel Martínez Madrid, a spokesperson for Honduras’ Security Secretariat, said the attackers dragged the mayor out of the room unclothed and later shot him nearby. Authorities said multiple mobile devices were recovered at the scene, and the woman who was with him is being held for questioning.

Martínez, who was seeking re-election under the opposition National Party, had previously been involved in legal controversies.

In 2015, Martínez was accused of involvement in the death of an 18-year-old who was reportedly dating his daughter. He was acquitted the following year, though the court imposed a restraining order barring him from contact with the victim’s family. He was also detained in 2018 for public misconduct, according to police records.

A cousin of the mayor, who spoke to Honduran media on condition of anonymity, said the family was unaware of any threats against him. “We don’t understand what happened or why he was killed,” she said.

Authorities said the motive remains under investigation, though personal revenge is among the possibilities being explored due to his past legal history.

Honduras has long struggled with high levels of violence and impunity, often ranking among the most dangerous countries in Latin America. Public officials are frequent targets, particularly in rural areas where organized crime and political rivalries converge.