On Thursday police in Mexico discovered at least three dismembered bodies belonging to middle-aged men in a cemetery near the southern city of Chilapa. The butchered corpses were wrapped in blankets.

Chilapa, which is located in Guerrero state, was recently occupied from May 9 to 14 by vigilantes that some residents are linking to a local drug gang. It was reported that 10 people had disappeared during the takeover, and six more had gone missing in the months prior to the takeover.

It remains unclear if the bodies belonged to some of the men who were reported missing.

As reported by the Associated Press, Federal investigators have been sent to look for the missing residents. An atmosphere of suspicion permeates the region, as locals have wondered why the government would allow armed vigilantes to take over the city of about 35,000 people for nearly five days.

"A decision was made to not act (against them) to avoid the spilling of blood," an anonymous federal official said. "The government preferred to negotiate."

According to a Guerrero state official -- who, as with the federal official, was was not authorized to be quoted by name -- the three men were killed about five days ago.

Much about this crime is actually shrouded in anonymity, as the police were able to locate the three bodies after receiving an anonymous tip.

As reported in The Guardian, the past two years have seen a proliferation in vigilante groups across the states of Guerrero and Michoacán. The vigilantes see themselves as a necessary response to the government’s apparent lack of control over organised crime and its associated murders and kidnappings.

Although some of the vigilante groups have had success pushing away cartels, they have also been accused of abusing their powers and even competing with criminal organizations.