Quintana Roo Activist Denounces Delayed Search for Missing Mother, Daughter

Quintana Roo — A search activist accused authorities in Quintana Roo of mishandling the disappearance of a mother and her 3-year-old daughter, saying the case sat for days because the initial report was filed on a weekend.

María Patrón, president of the Madres Buscadoras de Quintana Roo collective, said Fátima and her daughter Emma have been missing since Aug. 15. They left their home in the San Marino residential area to buy bread and never returned.

Patrón said the woman’s parents tried to file a missing-person report at an early-attention office but were turned away because it was a Saturday. The case was not referred to the specialized prosecutor’s office for disappearances until the following Tuesday, and the case file was only assigned to a prosecutor on Wednesday, she said.

“If the specialized unit had received the case from the beginning, there would already be progress on geolocation and reviewing surveillance cameras,” Patrón said.

She also said authorities should have activated the standard search protocol for missing people immediately. “Regardless of whether the prosecutors are working or not, they should have activated the search protocol right away,” she said.

Patrón sarcastically noted that kidnappers apparently need to avoid committing crimes on weekends because the specialized prosecutor’s office does not work Saturdays or Sundays, causing serious delays in investigations.

The activist said disappearances continue unabated in Quintana Roo, with six to seven people going missing each day, and peaks of more than 13 cases daily, particularly in the state’s southern zone.