Yucatán Mothers Search for 270 Missing Loved Ones

Mérida, Yucatán — Just as in Sonora, Jalisco, Tamaulipas, and the State of Mexico, Yucatán is now home to a group of women who have taken on the painful and arduous task of searching for their missing children. Thirteen mothers have formed a collective that has documented more than 270 disappearances in the state since 2017.

A Year of Independent Efforts

Clara María Gutiérrez Centeno, a member of the collective Familias Buscadoras de Yucatán, revealed that the group operates without institutional support. They rely on mutual aid, organize raffles to fund travel expenses, and occasionally venture outside the state in pursuit of leads.

Clara’s Story: A Mother’s Relentless Search

Originally from Halachó, Clara’s life changed on May 24, 2020, when her 24-year-old son, Héctor de Jesús Huesca Gutiérrez, disappeared in Jalisco. At the time, she was unaware of other search collectives and conducted the search alone.

Héctor was working on a ranch when he was abducted. Clara, then in Mérida caring for her pregnant daughter, rushed to Jalisco but found no answers. Months of uncertainty followed until an anonymous tip led her to a location where her son might be found. Warned by a taxi driver that armed men controlled the area, she returned to Mérida without official protection or assistance.

The Discovery and Identification

Two years later, in October 2022, an independent search volunteer in Jalisco recognized Héctor’s tattoos in a forensic database and contacted Clara. His body, dismembered shortly after his disappearance, had been held at the Jalisco Forensic Medical Service (Semefo).

“We fought hard to have him released,” Clara recounted. On December 8, 2023, Héctor was finally returned to his family. Missing an arm, he was buried in Halachó on December 13.

“I’m not a mother seeking justice or culprits. I closed the case in Jalisco. I just wanted my son back. Many mothers don’t even have that,” she said.

Demanding Institutional Support

According to the collective’s records, at least 270 people have disappeared in Yucatán since 2017, including teenagers, young adults, and elderly individuals.

After a year of operation, Familias Buscadoras de Yucatán has called on the government for legal assistance, psychological support, and logistical aid.

“We’re not against the government, but we ask to be heard. Give us access to the DNA database, provide lawyers and psychologists. We’re just Yucatecan mothers who want to find our children,” Clara stated.

Mutual Aid Among Collectives

The group has made progress through collaboration with collectives in Quintana Roo and Puebla, participating in search operations and helping identify remains. Each discovery, even if not of their own relatives, is considered a shared victory.

“It brings us joy to help even one family. Here in Yucatán, they say there are no resources, no missing persons. But there are. We are proof of that,” Clara concluded, now supporting other mothers in their searches—just as a woman in Jalisco once helped her.