57 Mexican Navy Members Missing in 15 States

Mexico City — According to data from the Mexican Navy Secretariat (Semar), 57 of its members are currently listed as missing. The case of Miguel Darío Becerra, a 22-year-old medical student, exposes the uncertainty and slow pace of investigations as reports of disappearances increase across 15 states. Tabasco, Veracruz, Baja California, and Tamaulipas concentrate the majority of disappearances linked to organized crime, with case files remaining open since 2010.

"You imagine everything, but I tell you that whatever happened and however it was, I need to know what happened to my son," stated Araceli Chávez, the mother of Miguel Darío Becerra Chávez. The 22-year-old, a fifth-year medical student at the Naval Military School, disappeared on October 20 after leaving his home in the Coyoacán borough of Mexico City. Miguel Darío is one of the 57 marines who, according to Semar data, are missing.

In an interview with El Sol de México, Araceli Chávez shared that the last information provided by the Mexico City Attorney General's Office is that the young man apparently purchased a bus ticket at the counter for Tampico, his parents' place of residence, but it is not known if he boarded the bus or if he arrived in Tamaulipas. "Whether it was him or not who bought the ticket, we don't know, what is certain is that he never arrived home," she said.

She recounted that she spoke by phone with Darío the day before he disappeared. "He sounded very happy. He mentioned that on Monday he had an exam, that on Wednesday he had another practical exam, which he said was easy, and that on Friday he was going to see a movie, that he had already bought the tickets. He didn't tell us who he was going with, but he wouldn't have gone alone. He also told us that Saturday was his last driving lesson. He had plans for the whole week, a 22-year-old young man, a medical student, with a whole future ahead of him," she affirmed.

She also said that it was personnel from the Naval School of the Semar who notified them on Monday, October 20, that Darío had not shown up for classes, which prompted her and her husband to immediately travel to Mexico City.

According to Araceli, the Secretariat of the Navy is separately investigating the disappearance of her son through an intelligence unit. "We also requested the support of the First Naval Zone to pressure the Attorney General's Office before the end of the month because our anguish is that the security camera footage will be erased, because we have no evidence, and they tell us that they only store information for one month," she said.

Araceli added that after 25 days with no news of Darío, the Secretariat of the Navy has already classified him as missing, but his family and friends will not cease their search until they find him. "We have received support from the Navy; in fact, yesterday two personnel came to the house to ask us if we knew anything more and to tell us that they are still investigating," she added.

According to information from the department under the command of Secretary Raymundo Pedro Morales Ángeles, to which this newspaper had access, since 2010 the Semar has discharged a total of 57 missing members across 15 states of the Republic.

Tabasco, with 18; Veracruz with eight; Baja California, also with eight; and Tamaulipas with seven, head the states where the most marines have disappeared in the last 15 years. This includes Oscar Manuel González Andrade, 48, and Victoriano Rodríguez Zurita, who disappeared in March 2022 while providing security for Morenista senator José Narro Céspedes on his journey from Acapulco to Mexico City. Nearly four years after the events occurred, the case remains under investigation, according to Semar records.

Eva Lidia, the cadet who fell into the Arabian Sea in India during a storm that surprised the training ship Cuauhtémoc on June 11, 2017, is another member of the armed institute included on the list of those not located; however, in her case, it was officially determined to be an accident.

According to the Navy's version, the events occurred during the day while the ship was sailing under sail and began tasks to furl the sails due to adverse meteorological conditions. At that moment, a wave of great magnitude entered the central part of the ship from the right side, causing the crew to lose their balance.

Other states where disappearances of sailors have been registered are Mexico City (5), Quintana Roo (3), Michoacán (2), Jalisco (1), and Sinaloa (1).

According to the information obtained, the majority of the missing individuals have been abducted by members of organized crime in retaliation for blows against various criminal groups, although, in a large number, the cases are still under investigation.

In its report on losses due to disappearance, the Semar also notes that there are sailors, lieutenants, and corporals among those not located.