Zafar Mawani and Guillermo Hidalgo Ortiz (Image: Instagram/guistriandior)

Mexican authorities have confirmed that Zafar Mawani and Guillermo Hidalgo Ortiz, a missing gay couple from the US, were among four people found dead in a mass grave near Mexico City.

Authorities confirmed their identities on 25 June, after the bodies were discovered on 17 June in La Marquesa National Park, around 20 miles south-west of the capital, as detailed by Associated Press.

Mawani and Hidalgo disappeared on 20 May and were last seen in Mexico City’s Isidro Fabela neighbourhood. It is not clear whether they were specifically targeted because of their sexual orientation.

The couple had reportedly travelled to Mexico City to care for Mawani’s sick mother. Investigators also reportedly found “unusual withdrawals from the couple’s bank accounts” after they vanished, according to NBC Chicago.

Mawani’s family said in a statement: “We are grateful beyond words to everyone who tried to help bring Zafar home to us – investigators on the ground, our core strategy and support team, authorities in both countries, generous volunteer organisations, as well as friends and loved ones who stepped forward to help without being asked.”

The couple had been sharing snippets from their time in Mexico City on social media as recently as 13 May.

The four bodies were found in a mass grave in La Marquesa National Park on 17 June. Mexican authorities confirmed on 25 June that Mawani and Hidalgo were among the dead.

Tributes have been left on their social media pages since, with one saying: “Rest in peace my beautiful friend. I hope you’re both together.”

Mexican media reports have said five people have been arrested in connection with the couple’s murder, including a female former police officer alleged to have led a kidnapping and robbery gang.

The deaths have drawn attention amid Mexico’s wider missing persons crisis. More than 135,000 people are currently thought to be missing in the country, with 977 reported to have disappeared in May.

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