Mexican authorities investigating the murder of musician Jonathan Samuel Meléndez Ochoa and three members of his household have opened a new line of inquiry into whether the killers were seeking cash and cryptocurrency, according to information from the investigation released Thursday.
Meléndez, 38, known as "Honas" and the founder and keyboardist of the band Camilo Séptimo, was killed on September 1 along with his wife, Ana Paula Barragán, who was four months pregnant, the couple's three-year-old daughter, and a 21-year-old domestic worker. The killings took place in a home in the Grand Viure development, in the Zona Esmeralda area of Atizapán de Zaragoza, in the State of Mexico.
The couple's six-year-old son survived the attack and was found unharmed inside the home. The family's dog was also killed. Authorities said the victims were subdued and that the attack took place between 5:30 p.m. and 7:40 p.m.
Two men detained
Two men, identified as Diego Sebastián "N" and Gerardo "N," were detained in connection with the multiple killings, in an operation involving authorities from the State of Mexico, Mexico City and the federal government.
The first version of events pointed to an economic dispute between Meléndez and his business partner. News reports referred to a disagreement over a loan of about 300,000 Mexican pesos, roughly 17,000 dollars. That account had not been officially confirmed by prosecutors when it was first reported.
A shifting motive
On Thursday, a new line of investigation emerged that shifted the focus away from the alleged debt. According to information attributed to the inquiry, Diego Sebastián later said he had gone to the home to demand dollars from Meléndez and access to close to 30 million pesos in cryptocurrency. Reports on the case say the detainee had changed his original account of the motive.
The theft of cryptocurrency and physical cash is now one of the main lines being pursued in the investigation. Officials caution, however, that the 30-million-peso figure and the details surrounding the alleged digital assets remain part of the ongoing inquiry and have not been established as judicial fact.
Omar García Harfuch, Mexico's secretary of security and citizen protection, said early in the case that one of the detainees belonged to the inner circle of one of the victims and had used that relationship of trust to gain entry to the home. That man was Diego Sebastián "N," identified as Meléndez's business partner. Authorities said the relationship between the two had allowed access to the residence without any sign of forced entry.
Gerardo "N" was also detained and is being investigated for his possible role in the killings. Prosecutors must still determine the extent of each man's involvement and whether other people took part. Both men are to be considered suspects while the judicial process continues and no sentence has been handed down.
Reconstructing the final hours
Authorities place the attack in the afternoon of September 1, inside the family's apartment. When officers arrived at the property, they found four people dead: Meléndez, his wife, his daughter and the domestic worker. The six-year-old boy was found alive in one of the rooms.
The alert that led to the discovery came after a friend of the family went to the authorities after losing contact with the musician. The investigation is now focused on reconstructing how the attackers entered the property, what role each of the detained men played, and, in particular, what they were trying to obtain.
Camilo Séptimo's rise
The killings have caused shock in the Mexican music scene. Meléndez was one of the founders of Camilo Séptimo, a band that began its career in 2013 and became one of the leading names in Mexico's alternative music circuit.
Within the group he worked mainly as a keyboardist using synthesizers, but he also worked as a composer and took part in production, recording, mixing and mastering. The band has performed at venues including the Auditorio Nacional, the Palacio de los Deportes and the Teatro Metropólitan, and has taken part in festivals such as Vive Latino and Pa'l Norte. In May 2026 the group released the record "Mapas II," on which Meléndez is credited as composer and producer.
Camilo Séptimo also had a tour planned across several Mexican cities, including Ciudad Juárez, Pachuca, León and Tijuana, at the time of the killings.
The State of Mexico's prosecutor's office is keeping the investigation open while the two detained men remain at the disposal of judicial authorities.
