Ex-Official Pleads Guilty in Negligence Case Over Unidentified Body of Murdered Woman in Cancun

Cancun, Quintana Roo — A former prosecutor who led the state’s specialized unit for investigating forced disappearances has pleaded guilty to negligence in a case where a murdered woman’s body went unidentified for four years.

Rosa María “N” accepted responsibility Monday during an intermediate hearing in the criminal proceedings against her. Her defense requested a guilty plea as part of a plea agreement for a summary proceeding.

María Patrón Pat, president of the “Madres Buscadoras de Quintana Roo” search collective and mother of the victim, Francisca Mariner Pat, said she was surprised by the proposal from Rosa María’s lawyers. Upon learning the agreement included a public apology from the former prosecutor, she agreed.

“She was responsible for the disappearances unit in 2020, but she didn’t supervise the work, so two years ago I started a case against her,” Patrón said.

The public apology will take place Monday at the State Prosecutor’s Office on Xcaret Avenue. Patrón said the location holds special significance because she was repeatedly revictimized and repressed there while demanding the search for her daughter.

“It was there that an escort of Prosecutor Óscar Montes de Oca hit me and sent me to the hospital,” she recalled.

Three other former prosecutor’s office employees are also under prosecution for the same offense: the head of homicide, the agent assigned to the case, and the forensic examiner who made errors in marking DNA samples for identification.

Patrón said she does not know if any of them will also seek a plea deal but emphasized that her goal is for them to accept responsibility.

The crime of negligence in the performance of official duties carries a penalty of up to three years in prison, though through this agreement it will likely be replaced with a fine and restitution.

Francisca Mariner was murdered by her romantic partner and dumped in a green area of Cancun in 2020. Although her body was found a month after her death, the prosecutor’s office failed to correctly identify her remains, which remained in the Forensic Medical Service for four years while her mother launched protests and search efforts.

Francisca’s killer was sentenced to 50 years in prison.