Mothers Lead Search for Mexico City’s Missing in Heartfelt Quest

The search for the missing in Mexico City took a poignant turn as mothers of the disappeared gathered to search for their loved ones in Cumbres del Ajusco National Park. Among them was Jacqueline Palmeros, whose daughter, Jael Monserrat Uribe, vanished at the age of 21 on July 24, 2020. The search effort, taking place from October 21 to 24, 2023, involved hundreds of volunteers, including forestry workers, firefighters, and anthropologists, all dedicated to uncovering the truth behind the disappearances that have plagued Mexico for years.

Palmeros, the founder of the collective Una Luz en El Camino (A Light on the Path), returned to a memorial site where her daughter’s partial remains were discovered last November. The site, marked by a cross and a statuette of the Virgin Mary, lies near an embankment where Uribe’s remains were found, revealing she had been shot in the head. Palmeros expressed her determination to recover her daughter entirely, stating, “If God wants, I want to return her whole, because I gave birth to a complete daughter.”

A systematic approach to searching for the missing has emerged in Mexico City, where officials are now employing a pattern-based strategy to address the crisis. This method marks a significant shift from previous search efforts that were often uncoordinated and localized. Luis Gómez Negrete, chief of the Commission for the Search of Persons of Mexico City, noted, “We are gathering cases, defining an area of interest, and bringing all the resources available to support the search in this area.”

The urgency of the situation is underscored by the National Registry for Disappeared and Missing Persons, which states that nearly 7,000 people are currently listed as missing in Mexico’s capital alone. This number increased by 2,000 over the past year. The recent searches targeted areas with known connections to multiple disappearances, highlighting the ongoing violence attributed to organized crime.

Among those searching for answers were María del Rocio Fragoso and Araceli Olmedo Cruz, both wearing shirts emblazoned with images of their missing children. Fragoso’s daughter, Karen Estefanía Domínguez Fragoso, disappeared in 2018, while Olmedo Cruz’s son, Benjamin Echeverría, went missing in April 2024. Their stories reflect the heartbreak and determination shared by many families in Mexico.

The reality of disappearances in Mexico is stark. Over the past decades, nearly 130,000 people have gone missing, a grim statistic that places Mexico in the same league as nations experiencing severe conflict. The surge in disappearances has been linked to the government’s war on drugs, initiated in 2006, which escalated violence and led to widespread human rights violations.

Families and human rights advocates are increasingly vocal about the failures of the state to address the crisis. A report submitted to the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances in September revealed that only 373 convictions were secured for forced disappearances between 2017 and January 2025, despite the addition of over 65,000 names to the national registry during that period. This lack of accountability exacerbates the pain of families like that of Vanessa Gámez, whose daughter, Ana Amelía García Gámez, vanished while hiking on July 12, 2023.

Gámez described the emotional toll of her daughter’s disappearance, asserting, “We were destroyed that day. Our peace, our hearts, our entire lives.” She believes that her daughter was taken, reflecting a sentiment echoed by many families who feel abandoned by authorities.

The government of Claudia Sheinbaum, the Mayor of Mexico City, has attempted to address the issue by asserting that most disappearances are linked to organized crime rather than state violence. However, families and advocates argue that the systemic failures within law enforcement and the judicial system continue to hinder progress.

As the search efforts continue, the mothers and families of the missing remain resolute. They are driven by love and a relentless quest for justice, standing against a backdrop of profound loss. Each search is not only about finding the missing but also about reclaiming dignity and demanding accountability from a system that has often left them in despair.