Jesus Constanzo

A U.S. investigator in Texas said he suspected that the leader of a drug-smuggling and satanic cult could have faked his death to fool police into ending their hunt for perpetrators of 15 ritual murders near the U.S.-Mexico border. But Mexican authorities maintained that Adolfo de Jesus Constanzo had been positively identified by his fingerprints and U.S. passport. Cult member Alvaro de Leon has said he killed Constanzo and a bodyguard in a Mexico City apartment on the leader's orders.

Family members and a handful of friends attended funeral services in Miami for the man authorities say was the "godfather" of a cult linked to at least 15 slayings on the U.S.-Mexican border, a relative said. The body of Adolfo de Jesus Constanzo was cremated for the funeral, Constanzo's brother Fausto told WQBA radio in Miami. Sect members have said some of the slayings outside the border city of Matamoros, Mexico, were ritual killings and others were drug-related. Sect members have said publicly that Constanzo ordered his own execution and the killing of his right-hand man, Martin Quintana Rodriguez, on May 6 when police moved in on their Mexico City apartment.

Authorities today intensified their manhunt for the "godfather" of a drug-smuggling voodoo cult that allegedly sacrificed and mutilated at least 13 people to make its members invulnerable. U.S and Mexican authorities were searching for Adolfo de Jesus Constanzo, a Cuban who police said orchestrated the ritual slayings on a remote ranch outside this Mexican border town. Constanzo is believed to have fled into the United States with Matamoros resident Sara Maria Aldrete, a 24-year-old, 6-1 brunette described by Texas Atty.

Other members of the cult called her their witch, a high priestess in a world of evil. Her name is Sara Aldrete Villareal, and she, like the others still alive, is accused of murder. She is a tall, athletic woman who, in one half of her life, was an honors student at a Texas college. But in the other, the one few people saw, she was a lover and follower of Adolfo de Jesus Constanzo, whose legacy is a trail of grotesque violence almost beyond imagination. She said this man, through the sheer force of his personality, held her in his grip, just as he did the others who killed for him. Force of Personality "If he tells you to do something right now, if he orders you, you will do it," she said last week.

A federal grand jury in McAllen, Tex., indicted 11 people, including the alleged "godfather," Adolfo de Jesus Constanzo, of a human-sacrificing cult of drug smugglers, on drug charges. They were charged with conspiracy to import marijuana, importing marijuana, conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute the drug and possession with intent to distribute, authorities said. Constanzo and five others remained at large. Four men are in custody in Mexico and another man was arrested Monday in Houston.

Authorities said today that Adolfo de Jesus Constanzo, suspected "godfather" of a drug-smuggling cult accused of a series of sacrificial murders, may have killed his girlfriend in Mexico City and fled to Florida. A purse and other belongings of Sara Aldrete Villareal, 24, known as the "witch" of Constanzo's ring, were found in a Mexico City residence, along with an occult altar, police said. Police had believed that Aldrete had been on the run with Constanzo since last week, when the bodies of 11 people believed murdered in cult sacrifices and four others were found buried on ranches near Matamoros.

One of the suspects in a cult of human sacrifice pointed out the grave of a 13th body on Thursday and police ordered him to dig it up. "You'll do it with your hands if you have to," one officer told Sergio Martinez after the suspect was handed a pick and shovel. Martinez, 23, had been taken back to a ranch near Matamoros, where 12 bodies were unearthed Tuesday. He and other suspects have told authorities there were 14 bodies buried on the ranch. In a dramatic public confession Wednesday, some of the five suspects in custody said victims were put to death in rituals that were intended to provide a "magical shield" for members of a drug-smuggling ring.

The ringleader of a drug-smuggling cult that killed 15 people has been slain in a gun battle with Mexico City police and his girlfriend has been captured, police said Saturday. Cameron County Sheriff's Lt. George Gavito said Mexican authorities told U.S. investigators Saturday night that cult leader Adolfo de Jesus Constanzo, 26, was killed and that police have arrested Sara Aldrete, a 24-year-old former Texas college student described as the "witch" of the cult. "They have confirmed that Adolfo is dead and Sara has been arrested," Gavito said.

The Cuban-American "godfather" of a drug-smuggling and satanic cult accused of 15 slayings ordered one of his followers to kill him and his right-hand man as police closed in on their Mexico City hide-out, arrested cult members said Sunday. Sara Aldrete Villarreal, 24, the so-called "witch" of the cult, told reporters that her boyfriend and leader, Adolfo de Jesus Constanzo, "demanded to be killed because he said everything was finished." Recounting the final minutes before their capture in a shoot-out with police Saturday, Aldrete told a press conference that Constanzo became desperate.

Other members of the cult called her their witch, a high priestess in a world of evil. Her name is Sara Aldrete Villareal, and she, like the others still alive, is accused of murder. She is a tall, athletic woman who, in one half of her life, was an honors student at a Texas college. But in the other, the one few people saw, she was a lover and follower of Adolfo de Jesus Constanzo, whose legacy is a trail of grotesque violence almost beyond imagination. She said this man, through the sheer force of his personality, held her in his grip, just as he did the others who killed for him. Force of Personality "If he tells you to do something right now, if he orders you, you will do it," she said last week.

The woman police call the "godmother" of a drug smuggling cult that allegedly killed 15 people said she was held hostage by group members after the ritual slayings were discovered at a ranch near Matamoros, Mexico, last month. "They treated me like a prisoner," Sara Aldrete Villarreal said in Mexico City, where she is being held by police. "I was scared." Aldrete and four other people were arrested at a Mexico City apartment Saturday after a gunfight with police. Cult leader Adolfo de Jesus Constanzo, 26, and Martin Quintana Rodriguez, were killed.

The Cuban-American "godfather" of a drug-smuggling and satanic cult accused of 15 slayings ordered one of his followers to kill him and his right-hand man as police closed in on their Mexico City hide-out, arrested cult members said Sunday. Sara Aldrete Villarreal, 24, the so-called "witch" of the cult, told reporters that her boyfriend and leader, Adolfo de Jesus Constanzo, "demanded to be killed because he said everything was finished." Recounting the final minutes before their capture in a shoot-out with police Saturday, Aldrete told a press conference that Constanzo became desperate.

The ringleader of a drug-smuggling cult that killed 15 people has been slain in a gun battle with Mexico City police and his girlfriend has been captured, police said Saturday. Cameron County Sheriff's Lt. George Gavito said Mexican authorities told U.S. investigators Saturday night that cult leader Adolfo de Jesus Constanzo, 26, was killed and that police have arrested Sara Aldrete, a 24-year-old former Texas college student described as the "witch" of the cult. "They have confirmed that Adolfo is dead and Sara has been arrested," Gavito said.

Authorities said today that Adolfo de Jesus Constanzo, suspected "godfather" of a drug-smuggling cult accused of a series of sacrificial murders, may have killed his girlfriend in Mexico City and fled to Florida. A purse and other belongings of Sara Aldrete Villareal, 24, known as the "witch" of Constanzo's ring, were found in a Mexico City residence, along with an occult altar, police said. Police had believed that Aldrete had been on the run with Constanzo since last week, when the bodies of 11 people believed murdered in cult sacrifices and four others were found buried on ranches near Matamoros.

One of the suspects in a cult of human sacrifice pointed out the grave of a 13th body on Thursday and police ordered him to dig it up. "You'll do it with your hands if you have to," one officer told Sergio Martinez after the suspect was handed a pick and shovel. Martinez, 23, had been taken back to a ranch near Matamoros, where 12 bodies were unearthed Tuesday. He and other suspects have told authorities there were 14 bodies buried on the ranch. In a dramatic public confession Wednesday, some of the five suspects in custody said victims were put to death in rituals that were intended to provide a "magical shield" for members of a drug-smuggling ring.

Authorities today intensified their manhunt for the "godfather" of a drug-smuggling voodoo cult that allegedly sacrificed and mutilated at least 13 people to make its members invulnerable. U.S and Mexican authorities were searching for Adolfo de Jesus Constanzo, a Cuban who police said orchestrated the ritual slayings on a remote ranch outside this Mexican border town. Constanzo is believed to have fled into the United States with Matamoros resident Sara Maria Aldrete, a 24-year-old, 6-1 brunette described by Texas Atty.