Two men found dead in Tulum lots in a day, and still no names

Two men were found dead in Tulum within roughly 24 hours, each in a separate vacant lot, and authorities have not identified either of them.

The most recent case was reported via the 911 emergency line and anonymous calls, which sent security forces and emergency crews to a lot between the Maya and Centro neighborhoods, near Hospital Tulum and the road leading to the Unidad Deportiva.

Neither man has a name in the public record. Neither has a cause of death. No agency has issued a public statement connecting the two cases, and the only description offered so far, that both men were living on the street, came as a preliminary account at the scene rather than a confirmed finding.

A lot near Hospital Tulum

Cruz Roja paramedics entered the property and found a man lying on the ground. After examining him, they confirmed he had no vital signs.

His age has not been released. His identity has not been released either, and no agency has stated how long he had been there before the calls came in. Under state procedure, the ministerial authorities are responsible for processing the site, recovering the body and ordering the forensic examinations that follow.

Neighbors watched the first man for hours before calling 911

The first case was recorded on Tunkul Street, on land that houses offices of the Instituto Estatal para la Educación de Jóvenes y Adultos, near the CECyTE campus.

Neighbors said they had noticed the man from the early hours of the day and did not initially treat it as an emergency. It was only when they saw that he had not moved and was not responding that they called 911. Officers from the Policía Municipal Preventiva and Cruz Roja paramedics arrived and confirmed the death.

According to the same preliminary accounts, the man was known in that area, where he was often seen. His name, his age and where he came from have not been made public.

No signs of violence in a first review

The initial report drew a larger response than the scene ultimately required. State police and personnel from the Secretaría de Marina were among the corporations that mobilized.

After a first review and with no preliminary indications of a violent act, part of that deployment withdrew. The site was left under the guard of the first responders until experts from the Fiscalía General del Estado processed it and moved the body to the forensic facility.

That assessment was preliminary. It was made at the scene, before any examination, and it has not been confirmed by a formal finding.

Prosecutors have not named either of the men found dead in Tulum

The first man remains listed as unidentified. Establishing who both men were is part of the same set of proceedings that will have to determine how they died, and no agency has said how far that work has advanced.

What the two cases share, beyond the preliminary description offered at each scene, is that two men died in Tulum and nobody has yet been able to say who they were.

The deaths have also put the presence of people living outdoors in Tulum back in front of local attention, though no agency has confirmed that either man was among them.

The necropsies are still pending

No necropsy results have been made public in either case. Those results are what will establish whether the deaths came from natural causes, a health problem, substance use, or something that requires a criminal investigation.

There is also no official information linking the two cases. Absent that, each one has to be investigated on its own, and temporal proximity is a coincidence in the public record until an agency says otherwise.

For now, the first man is still at the forensic facility, with no name attached to him. Until the necropsy results are released and an identity is established, the official account of what happened in those two lots consists of two emergency calls and two confirmations of death.

What should Tulum's municipal and state authorities be doing for people who live outdoors in the town? Join the conversation and share your perspective with us on Instagram and Facebook at @thetulumtimes.