A leader of Mexican folk saint cult ‘La Santa Muerte’ is killed at an altar to the skeletal figure

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Authorities say a local leader of the Mexican folk saint cult “La Santa Muerte” has been gunned down at an altar to the skeletal figure. The saint — whose name means roughly “Holy Death” — is often worshipped by convicts, drug addicts and criminals, along with other people with serious difficulties in life. The saint, who is depicted as a female skeleton, is supposed to protect her followers from death. But that didn’t work for “La Madrina Chayo,” a woman considered a leader of the cult in the north-central state of Guanajuato. She and two other people were gunned down late Friday as they prepared for the annual Santa Muerte celebration.