Mexican state police on Friday found 19 bodies inside a burned pickup truck in the state of Tamaulipas. 

The bodies were found on a rural road in Santa Anita, a locality in southern Camargo near the Tamaulipas and Nuevo León state line, officials with the Tamaulipas Attorney General’s Office said in a news release Saturday. The area is located about 40 miles south of Rio Grande City, Texas. 

Tamaulipas state police received reports from residents about a burning vehicle on Friday afternoon.

Authorities say they found two bodies in the pickup truck’s cabin, a body on the side of the driver’s door and a body on the side of the passenger's door. Fifteen more bodies were found in the bed of the pickup truck.

Mexican investigators say it appeared the victims were shot and then set on fire. Investigators added they did not find bullet casings in the area, which makes them believe the shooting occurred in a different location, according to the news release. 

Tamaulipas authorities are working with their counterparts in the state of Nuevo León due to the crime scene’s proximity to the neighboring state.

Nearly two years ago, Mexican state authorities reported they found 21 bodies near Refugio Hinojosa, a rural community in the state of Tamaulipas about 15 miles west of Roma, Texas. Seventeen of those bodies were found burned inside several vehicles. Four pickup trucks and one sedan were also found burned. 

Areas along the Tamaulipas panhandle have been disputed turfs between the Northeast Cartel and the Gulf Cartel.

The U.S. Department of State has an active do not travel warning for the state of Tamaulipas due to crime and kidnapping. U.S. officials say organized crime activity, including gun battles, murder, extortion and sexual assault, is common along the northern border and in Ciudad Victoria.