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Mexican authorities have confirmed the discovery of 20 murdered men—Some of them decapitated and left hanging from a bridge—in the northern state of Sinaloa amid escalating violence between rival factions of the powerful Sinaloa drug cartel.

Getting into it: According to police, they initially responded to reports late Sunday night of bodies hanging from a highway bridge just north of Culiacán, Sinaloa. Upon arrival, officers discovered four decapitated corpses suspended from the bridge by their limbs. Close by, they located a pickup truck containing 16 more victims, including one additional decapitated body and 15 others showing signs of gunshot wounds. A plastic bag at the scene held five severed heads, bringing the total number of victims to 20, all adult males.

Authorities also uncovered several written messages at the scene—one draped over the truck on a tarp and others painted onto the vehicle’s frame. The notes appeared to claim responsibility on behalf of a cartel faction led by Ismael “Mayito Flaco” Zambada, son of cartel co-founder Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada. The messages criticized the rival faction known as Los Chapitos, led by Iván and Alfredo Guzmán Salazar, sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, who lead the Sinaloa cartel.

Feliciano Castro Meléndez, Secretary General of the State of Sinaloa, condemned the killings. He acknowledged that the scale of the brutality demanded a review of the state’s anti-crime strategies, even as military and federal forces continue to work alongside local law enforcement. Still, many in the community have expressed skepticism about the government’s ability to contain the violence, especially as such public and theatrical acts of brutality become more frequent.

So far, none of the victims have been formally identified, and authorities are still collecting forensic evidence from the scene.