Mexico Quadruple Killing Linked to Alleged Bitcoin Wallet Plot
A cold wallet keeps the private keys controlling crypto assets offline rather than holding Bitcoin itself, reducing exposure to online hacks but not to coercion or theft. The killings highlight the growing risk of so-called wrench attacks, in which criminals use violence to obtain wallet access. Blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis estimates more than $30 million in crypto was stolen through violent attacks in the first half of 2026.
The Attorney General’s Office of the State of Mexico, or FGJEM, said Camilo Séptimo keyboardist Jonathan Meléndez, his pregnant wife, their three-year-old daughter and a 21-year-old domestic worker were found dead at their Atizapán de Zaragoza home on Sept. 1. Suspects Diego Sebastián and Gerardo were arrested Sept. 2; prosecutors allege the former offered the latter 2 million pesos ($118,000) to help seize a cold wallet believed to control millions of dollars in Bitcoin. They were due in court Sept. 9 and face 25 to 70 years per homicide if convicted.
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The history behind this eventSouth Korean Police Lose $1.4 Million in Seized Bitcoin; Two Suspects Arrested
In 2021, South Korea’s Gyeonggi Northern Provincial Police Agency seized 22 Bitcoin while investigating the hacking of a cryptocurrency exchange and placed them in a cold wallet managed by a third party. Police breached rules governing seized assets and did not possess the wallet’s seed phrase, creating significant risks for the custody and recovery of the evidence.
South Korean police recently confirmed that the 22 Bitcoin had been stolen, with related reports valuing them at about $1.4 million. The Gyeonggi Northern Provincial Police Agency has arrested two suspects and is investigating when and how the assets were transferred and where the funds went. It is also working to determine responsibility for the third-party management and internal custody of the assets.
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