Mexican woman's children 'may have witnessed her being killed and cooked'

Parts of Magdalena Aguilar Romero were found inside pots on a stove in Taxco in the state of Guerrero in southern Mexico. Photo / via Facebook

A Mexican woman was strangled, hacked up and partially cooked at her ex-husband's home in the Mexican city of Taxco, authorities say – and it's believed her children may be witnesses.

Nutritionist Magdalena Aguilar Romero, 25, disappeared after going to pick up her two children from Cesar Gomez Arciniega, whom she had divorced.

Guerrero State Attorney General Xavier Olea said on Wednesday (Mexico time) that her legs and arms were found in a pot on the stove and her pelvis – which had already been cooked – was in a bag nearby.

The mother-of-two's remains were also found in plastic bags that had been stored in a refrigerator. Photo / via Facebook

The rest of her body was found in a refrigerator, prosecutors said. The couple's children were cited as witnesses, suggesting they had been present.

Olea said the ex-husband is still at large, and a reward will be offered for his arrest, but his mother – who shares the home with her son – has been arrested.

Police have said they are treating the crime as "femicide" – or the targeted murder of a woman because of her gender. Such killings have increased markedly over the past year across Mexico.

The government of Taxco said in a statement that it "vigorously condemns the cowardly murder of Magdalena Aguilar, which irreparably hurts our society."

"From the time her disappearance was known, we have offered all the support to Magdalena's family, with who we have always shown solidarity and to whom we show our unconditional support," it said.

It added that much work "needs to be done to protect and rebuild the social fabric of our municipality."

- AP