Mexico City — Forty-three people searching for missing relatives in Mexico have been killed or disappeared since 2010, according to a report by the civil society organization Article 19. The findings were published on March 27, the same day President Claudia Sheinbaum presented a federal report on Mexico’s search strategy for disappeared persons.
The Article 19 report, presented in two infographics, documents attacks against “buscadoras” and “buscadores” — primarily mothers and fathers searching for missing family members. Of the 43 victims, 25 were women and 18 were men. Thirty-five were murdered and eight remain missing.
The report indicates the majority of attacks occurred during the administration of former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (2018-2024), with 18 documented cases. The current administration under President Claudia Sheinbaum, which began in 2024, has recorded 14 cases so far. Previous administrations saw 8 cases under Enrique Peña Nieto (2012-2018) and 4 under Felipe Calderón (2006-2012).
Most Dangerous States
Guanajuato is the most dangerous state for search advocates, with 11 attacks recorded. Other states with high numbers include:
- Sinaloa: 4
- Jalisco: 4
- Michoacán: 3
- Sonora: 3
- Veracruz: 3
- Guerrero: 2
- State of Mexico: 2
- Tamaulipas: 2
- Zacatecas: 2
First and Latest Cases
The documented attacks begin with nurse Marisela Escobedo Ortiz, who was murdered outside the Chihuahua state government palace on December 16, 2010. She had been seeking justice for her daughter Rubí Marisol Fraire Escobedo, who was killed in Ciudad Juárez in 2008.
The most recent attack recorded was the killing of Rubí Patricia Gómez Tagle in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, on February 27 of this year.
The report comes amid ongoing criticism from human rights organizations about Mexico’s handling of the disappearance crisis. More than 132,000 people are officially listed as missing in the country.
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