The U.S. Department of State did not issue a travel advisory in response to the discovery of eight bodies on the streets of Cancun, contrary to reports on social media indicating otherwise.While it's true that the department's advisory was updated around the same time reports surfaced that the eight bodies were discovered outside of Cancun's beach-side hotel zone , the two events are apparently not linked.Both the current and previous version of the travel advisory urge Americans traveling in Quintana Roo (the state that contains Cancun, Cozumel, Playa del Carmen and other high-profile tourist areas) to "exercise increased caution" due to crime. Both versions of the advisory use the same language to call out an increase in homicides linked to "criminal organization assassinations" and "turf battles between criminal groups" and note that "shooting incidents injuring or killing bystanders have occurred. "The portion of the travel advisory that was updated this week had to do with the ability of government personnel to travel to and from downtown Ciudad Juarez. Ciudad Juarez is a border city that is a more than 2,000-mile drive from Cancun.The overall travel advisory for Mexico remained at the second warning level, "Exercise Increased Caution. "Americans are currently urged not to travel to five states: Colima, Guerrero, Michoacan, Sinaloa and Tamaulipas. The State Department currently urges travelers to reconsider travel or exercise increased caution when traveling to the rest of the country.<doc-sep>MEXICO CITY (WSVN) — The U.S. State Department has issued a travel advisory for Mexico, shortly after eight bodies were found in the streets of Cancun. According to the Associated Press, prosecutors said they found several mutilated bodies, including four people who were shot to death, a dead man and woman in an abandoned taxi, and two men who were dismembered, whose body parts were found in several bags. The prosecutors’ office for the state of Quintana Roo said one of the victims was killed while lying in a hammock. The report notes that none of the murders occurred in the city’s beach-side hotel zone. As a result of increased violent crimes, the U.S. State Department issued a travel advisory Wednesday. “Violent crime, such as homicide, kidnapping, carjacking and robbery, is widespread,” the advisory reads. For those with plans to travel to Mexico, officials recommend being extremely cautious in some areas and avoiding other areas altogether. The advisory says travelers should use toll roads whenever possible and avoid driving at night. The warning also notes that tourists should “exercise increased caution” when visiting local bars, nightclubs and casinos and says to avoid displaying signs of wealth such as expensive watches or jewelry. To read the complete travel advisory, click here.<doc-sep>The U.S. has issued a travel advisory for Mexico after authorities found eight bodies in Cancún this week. Travelers to Mexico are advised to “exercise increased caution,” according to the State Department advisory, which notes that “violent crime, such as homicide, kidnapping, carjacking, and robbery, is widespread.” While initial reports suggested the travel advisory was issued because of the apparent murders in Cancún, a State Department spokesperson said Thursday that the advisory was updated in relation to a security alert by the U.S. Consulate in Ciudad Juárez. Quintana Roo, where Cancún is located, is under the Level 2 travel advisory that warns people in the area to travel with increased caution. The Associated Press reports that the eight bodies were found in the Cancún area on Tuesday. Two of the victims were found in an abandoned taxi, while two others were found dismembered in plastic bags at another location, according to the AP. A fifth man was discovered bound and fatally shot on Tuesday, while another was found dead in a hammock. The seventh victim was shot to death and discovered in a plastic bag. Officials did not immediately reveal details about the eighth body. The spree of apparent murders comes amid an uptick in homicides in the state Quintana Roo. According to the State Department, Quintana Roo is seeing an increase in homicide rates when compared to the same time period in 2016. “While most of these homicides appeared to be targeted, criminal organization assassinations, turf battles between criminal groups have resulted in violent crime in areas frequented by U.S. citizens,” the State Department said in the advisory. Earlier this year, Mexican authorities found the bodies of five men stuffed into a car in Cancún. Get The Brief. Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know right now. Please enter a valid email address. * The request timed out and you did not successfully sign up. Please attempt to sign up again. Sign Up Now An unexpected error has occurred with your sign up. Please try again later. Check the box if you do not wish to receive promotional offers via email from TIME. You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Thank you! For your security, we've sent a confirmation email to the address you entered. Click the link to confirm your subscription and begin receiving our newsletters. If you don't get the confirmation within 10 minutes, please check your spam folder. Write to Mahita Gajanan at mahita.gajanan@time.com.<doc-sep>The U.S. State Department issued a level two travel advisory for Mexico after eight bodies were discovered in the beach resort city of Cancun. Some of the bodies were discovered in the trunk of a taxi cab and at least two bodies were found dismembered. The bodies of a man and a woman were discovered shoved into the trunk of an abandoned taxi cab at a shopping mall in the early hours Monday, the Riveria Maya News reported. The identities of the two victims was unknown. Authorities discovered the bodies of two men dismembered and placed in several plastic bags at another location, the Associated Press reported. The bodies, which were not identified, were discovered on Rancho Viejo avenue, according to Mexican news organization EJE Central. Another man was found on Tuesday bound and shot to death. A sixth man was murdered while lying in a hammock, while a seventh victim was fatally shot and covered in a plastic bag, the prosecutors' office in the state of Quintana Roo said. The eighth victim was found decapitated in the neighborhood of Tres Reyes, according to local reports. None of the slayings occurred in Cancun's beach-side hotel zone. The State Department warned travelers to "exercise increased caution in Mexico due to crime." The travel advisory, which was issued on Tuesday, noted that violent crimes were widespread in the country. Travelers were advised not to travel to Colima, Guerrero, Michoacán, Sinaloa and Tamaulipas states due to crime. The advisory suggested using toll roads whenever possible, avoiding driving at night and being vigilant while visiting banks or ATMs. The travel advisory also noted that while many homicides in Quintana Roo state appeared to be targeted, violent crimes have occurred in areas frequented by American tourists. "Shooting incidents injuring or killing bystanders have occurred," the advisory said. Violence in Cancun, which is a popular beach destination for international tourists, has been seemingly on the rise. In April, 57 murders were reported, including 14 homicides that occurred within a 36-hour time frame near main tourists attractions, The Dallas Morning News reported. Authorities believed those 14 murders were drug-related.<doc-sep>
WASHINGTON, DC (CBS Local/CBS Pittsburgh) – The U.S. Department Of State has issued a level two travel advisory after eight bodies were found in the resort city of Cancun. The travel advisory warns travelers to exercise increased caution due to crime in the area. The advisory explains that violent crime such as homicide, kidnapping, carjacking, and robbery is widespread in Mexico. Prosecutors say they have found a total of eight dead bodies on the streets of Cancun, with two bodies dumped at two spots and four others were found shot to death individually. The bodies of a man and a woman were found in an abandoned taxi Tuesday, and the dismembered bodies of two men were found in a several plastic bags at another spot. Also Tuesday, one man was found bound and shot to death. The prosecutors office for the state of Quintana Roo said another man was killed while lying in a hammock, and another was found shot and covered in a plastic bag. Details of the eighth body were not immediately available. Though none of the killings occurred in the city’s beach-side hotel zone, the State Department issued the advisory Wednesday. The State Department says that according to Mexican government statistics, the Cancun area is experiencing an increase in homicide rates compared to the same period in 2016. “While most of these homicides appeared to be targeted, criminal organization assassinations, turf battles between criminal groups have resulted in violent crime in areas frequented by U.S. citizens. Shooting incidents injuring or killing bystanders have occurred,” the State Department said on their website. (TM and © Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)