The navy says that fingerprints taken from the body of a man shot Sunday in the northern state of Coahuila were entered into a forensic database and matched the records of Lazcano.
He was an army special forces deserter whose brutal paramilitary tactics helped define the devastating six-year war among Mexico's drug gangs and authorities.
It also says photos of the body appear to match Lazcano.
The statement refers to reports in several Mexican newspapers that cite unnamed sources as saying that the body has since disappeared.
The statement says only that it gave the body to local authorities, and offers no details.
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