The Mexican drug cartel known as Los Rojos is suspected of being behind the murder of a mayor who was gunned down a day after taking office, authorities said on Monday.

The killing of Gisela Mota, 33, has shocked the nation, putting a spotlight on the violence plaguing the central state of Morelos and the dangers mayors have faced across Mexico.

The left-of-center former member of Congress was shot in her house on Saturday, barely 24 hours after taking her oath of office in Temixco, about 90 kilometers south of Mexico City.