Antonio de la Cruz was murdered in the Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas, in Mexico, making him the 12th victim in a wave of killings against journalists in 2022, authorities said Wednesday.

De la Cruz was attacked, along with his 23-year-old daughter, by two unknown assailants in the early morning outside his residence, according to preliminary reports. Health officials said his daughter is receiving medical care but her condition is “very serious.”

“Due to the public denunciations of journalists from Tamaulipas, regarding the murder of the journalist Antonio ‘C,’ and in compliance with the federal competence in the matter of Crimes against Freedom of Expression, the corresponding Prosecutor's Office has opened the necessary investigation file to initiate the investigations of the case,” according to the prosecutor's office.

The Attorney General's Office said the case is being investigated by authorities in Tamaulipas.

De la Cruz was experienced with more than 15 years covering the agriculture industry and had constantly criticized government figures.

The government in Tamaulipas has been reported to be heavily influenced by criminal organizations. Governor Francisco García Cabeza de Vaca was previously investigated for having ties to drug cartels in the region and money laundering.

The last being killing of a journalist in Mexico was a double homicide May 9 involving journalists Sheila Johana García Olivera and Yesenia Mollinedo Falcon.

Four days later, the body of another journalist, Luis Enrique Ramírez Ramos, was found abandoned in a plastic bag with signs of violence.(Anadolu Agency)