Miguel Cortés Miranda

Miguel Cortés Miranda (25 October 1984 – 13 April 2025), known as The Monster of Iztacalco , was a Mexican suspected serial killer and bacteriological chemist who was implicated in the rape and murder of at least three young girls and women in Mexico City, all of which occurred between 2012 and 2024.

Caught after killing his final victim, he was indicted for two additional murders after police located human skeletal remains in his apartment and was under investigation for other homicides and missing persons cases. However, he died before being brought to trial in April 2025, leading to the investigation being prematurely closed.

Early life Relatively little is known about Cortés' early life. Born on 25 October 1984 in the Gustavo A. Madero borough of Mexico City, Cortés claimed that he and sister were victims of domestic violence while growing up.

In school, he studied to be a bacteriological chemist and parasitologist, and later graduated from the National School of Biological Sciences and the Instituto Politécnico Nacional. He was then able to find job opportunities around various labs in Mexico City.

Personality and psychological profile Outwardly, Cortés boasted of his various academic, scientific and professional qualifications, and often participated in various recreational and social activities such as going to the cinema; theater; touring around the world; reading literature and learning new languages. He also professed to be an animal rights activist and openly stated his support for social causes such as feminism and LGBTQ rights. During one sessions, he claimed that he was estranged from his family and that at some point in his youth, he had supplied a suicidal friend of his with potentially lethal substances.

Following his arrest, psychological experts conducted interviews with Cortés and examined his postings on social media to better understand his psyche. According to their report, he exhibited violent antisocial traits and disturbing sexual inclinations, with one possibility being that he was a necrophile.

The following is a list of his confirmed and alleged victims.

Victims Confirmed

Alleged

Arrest and detention His last confirmed murder occurred on 16 April 2024, when he broke into an apartment in Iztacalco belonging to his downstairs neighbor. There, he raped and stabbed 17-year-old María José Castillo Calles, after which he strangled her to death. The girl's mother, Cassandra Calles, discovered him in the act and was subsequently attacked as well.

While he was sent to the Reclusorio Oriente Prison to await charges, investigators decided to inspect his home, where they found 20 sets of human remains; five human skulls; several ID cards; cellphones and some notebooks, as well as surgical and medical equipment.

Cortés was eventually charged with three murders: those were of Roblero, Lima and María Castillo. While awaiting trial, he supposedly boasted of killing more than 30 women in the span of twelve years. In addition to this, he also called the victims' family members and taunted them, saying that he had no regrets for the killings.

Death On the morning of 13 April 2025, Cortés was found on the floor of his cell in Reclusorio Oriente and immediately rushed to the General Hospital of Iztapalapa, where he later died. His cause of death was attributed to a cardiac arrest brought on overdosing on prescription medication, aggravated by a head injury he sustained when he fell off his bunk bed. At the time of his death, Cortés was scheduled to appear at a court hearing and was under investigation for making phone calls to his victims' relatives. As a result of his death, investigations into his case ceased.