What we know about the 10 local students abducted in Oaxaca

The Pacific seashore of the confederate authorities of Oaxaca is known arsenic an idyllic portion of Mexico, a portion wherever home and overseas tourists alike frolic connected the beauteous beaches and bask the laidback manner with nary a attraction successful the world.

But that representation has been damaged, if not shattered, successful aboriginal 2025, owed to the occurrence of crimes that are sadly each excessively communal successful Mexico: wide kidnappings and murder.

Seven of the 10 young tourists who were abducted successful precocious February successful Oaxaca. (Social media)

In January, 7 young men disappeared adjacent the fashionable tourer municipality of Puerto Escondido and haven’t been seen since. Authorities linked the abduction and probable murders to cause trafficking, but astir 2 months aboriginal the details of the lawsuit stay murky.

More recently, 10 young radical from the cardinal Mexican authorities of Tlaxcala were abducted successful abstracted incidents successful Zipolite, wherever Mexico’s lone authoritative nudist formation is located, and successful the edifice portion of Huatulco, besides situated connected Oaxaca’s Pacific coast. They were connected abrogation successful Oaxaca erstwhile they disappeared, according to assorted media reports.

The dismembered bodies of 9 of those radical — 4 women and 5 men aged 19 to 29 — were recovered connected March 2 successful and adjacent an abandoned conveyance located hundreds of kilometers distant successful a municipality successful Puebla connected that state’s borderline with Oaxaca.

A motive for the abduction and execution of the young radical — reportedly students — has not been disclosed by authorities officials, but authorities are investigating the imaginable engagement of municipal police. Authorities person besides said that the abduction of immoderate of the victims could beryllium related to a quality betwixt rival transgression groups. There is speculation that the victims were progressive successful transgression activities.

One idiosyncratic has been arrested successful transportation with the abduction and execution of the young radical from Tlaxcala.

The lone subsister of the astir caller kidnappings successful coastal Oaxaca, Brenda Salas, was located successful the authorities of Puebla aboriginal past week. She reportedly told authorities that she and her person Angie Pérez were abducted by municipal police.

What is the timeline of the disappearances successful Oaxaca?  

On the last time of February, 21-year-old Lesly Noya and 23-year-old Jacqueline Meza disappeared successful Zipolite. On the aforesaid day, Raul González and his woman Noemí Yamileth López, some 29, besides vanished successful the small, bohemian formation town.

Meza was eating astatine a edifice adjacent the formation erstwhile she was abducted, according to the young woman’s mother.

⛓️🚓 #MañaneraDelPueblo| Omar García Harfuch, secretario de Seguridad, afirma que la Fiscalía de Oaxaca está llevando “una buena investigación” sobre la desaparición de jóvenes de Tlaxcala, cuyos cuerpos fueron hallados en Puebla, tras la captura de un presunto implicado pic.twitter.com/rBDVdBcTM5

— La Jornada Tlaxcala (@JOrienteTlax) March 11, 2025

Security Minister Omar García Harfuch told reporters connected Tuesday that if authorities authorities were recovered to beryllium uncooperative oregon colluding with criminals, the national Attorney General’s Office would presume the investigation, however, successful this case, Oaxaca authorities are carrying retired “a bully investigation.”

“Please, I’m asking for your help, my girl disappeared past night, she was kidnapped and until present we don’t cognize anything,” Andrea Cazares said connected societal media, according to a study published by the paper El País connected Monday.

Cazares added that “two small ones aged 5 and three” are waiting for Meza, presumably the parent of the young children.

At astir the aforesaid time, 2 different families were “screaming successful desperation” owed to the disappearance of 2 young women successful Huatulco, El País reported.

Those families accused municipal constabulary of taking 19-year-old Brenda Salas and 29-year-old Angie Pérez to an chartless location. The 2 women were allegedly beaten earlier their enforced disappearance.

Four different young radical from Tlaxcala — Guillermo Cortés, Jonathan Uriel Calva, Marco Antonio Flores and Rolando Armando Evaristo — besides precocious disappeared successful coastal Oaxaca. Exactly wherever they were abducted and wherever they were subsequently taken to is unknown, El País reported.

A grisly find crossed authorities lines

On Sunday, March 2, the remains of 9 radical were discovered successful oregon adjacent an abandoned conveyance successful the municipality of San José Miahuatlán, located successful southeastern Puebla connected that state’s borderline with Oaxaca. The municipality is located astir 400 kilometers from the coastal portion of Oaxaca wherever the 10 young radical from Tlaxcala disappeared.

El País and different media outlets reported that the remains beryllium to 9 of the 10 young radical abducted successful coastal Oaxaca. The paper El Imparcial reported that authorities identified the 9 victims and confirmed they were from Tlaxcala. The bodies reportedly had slug wounds and showed signs of torture.

El País said that “no 1 has confirmed” that each of the victims antecedently knew each other, but “their lives came unneurotic successful the end.”

Gracias a su apoyo y colaboración la ciudadana BRENDA MARIEL SALAS MOYA, ha sido localizada. @FISCALIA_GobOax @AEI_Oaxaca @PolVial_GobOax@Policia_GobOax @089Oaxaca @Oaxaca_9_1_1@cruzrojaoaxaca @Bomberos_GobOax @DIF_Oaxaca@GN_Carreteras @SIDISSPC_GobOax pic.twitter.com/vnyKHdVhSn

— Unidad de Búsqueda de Personas No Localizadas (@FGEO_DNOL) March 1, 2025

A societal media station connected March 1 confirmed that Brenda Salas had been recovered alive, making her the sole subsister of the event.

The paper noted that the victims came from 4 municipalities successful Tlaxcala that are successful adjacent proximity to each other.

“… In a unusual lawsuit that nary authorization has yet explained, the attackers near 1 survivor: Brenda Salas,” El País said.

El País besides reported that it was not a “coincidence” that the bodies were dumped successful Puebla, conscionable crossed the borderline from Oaxaca. By leaving the bodies there, “attention was diverted from the Oaxacan seashore and besides from its authorities,” the paper said.

The paper El Universal reported that 5 of the victims were buried instantly aft their bodies were returned to their families successful Tlaxcala past week. El Universal said that the relatives of the victims each declined requests for interviews.

Were municipal constabulary involved? 

Last Thursday, the Oaxaca Attorney General’s Office (FGEO) announced that it was investigating the “possible involvement” of municipal constabulary officers successful the disappearance of 4 of the young radical from Tlaxcala: Angie Pérez, Brenda Salas, Raul González and Noemí Yamileth López.

The FGEO said it had obtained accusation that suggests that the abduction of the 4 aforesaid radical “could beryllium related to a quality betwixt transgression cells.”

“With the purpose of ensuring that nonstop and indirect victims person an capable justness process that allows them to cognize the information astir what happened, the FGEO is carrying retired ministerial enactment to find if determination is immoderate level of engagement from municipal constabulary officers,” the Attorney General’s Office said.

Authorities denote an arrest 

Jesús Romero López, interior curate for the authorities of Oaxaca, said connected Monday that 1 idiosyncratic had been arrested successful transportation with the abduction and execution of the young radical from Tlaxcala. He didn’t uncover the individuality of the idiosyncratic who was detained.

🛜🔴Por la mu3rt3 de nueve personas en los límites de Oaxaca y Puebla, la Fiscalía de Oaxaca ya tiene a una persona detenida, recluida en un penal del Estado confirmó el Secretario de Gobierno Jesús Romero López.

En la conferencia de esta mañana, destacó que hay avances muy… pic.twitter.com/o69itLeTwR

— Red es Oaxaca (@Red_es_Oaxaca) March 10, 2025

On Monday, Jesús Romero López, interior curate for the authorities of Oaxaca, shared advances successful the lawsuit and rejected assertions that Huatulco is an unsafe spot to visit.

Romero did accidental that the idiosyncratic had faced a tribunal hearing, and revealed to authorities cardinal accusation astir the crimes committed, including the motive for those offenses. He didn’t disclose that information.

Romero rejected comparisons to the lawsuit of the 43 students who disappeared successful the authorities of Guerrero successful 2014.

The disappearance and execution of the young radical from Tlaxcala didn’t hap wrong “a discourse of societal struggle,” helium said. Romero besides rejected assertions that Huatulco is an unsafe spot to visit.

The authoritative said that the FGEO would supply a elaborate study connected the lawsuit successful the coming hours, but arsenic of midday Tuesday said papers had not been made disposable to the public.

Is the execution of a Huatulco businessman linked to the case? 

On the aforesaid play the young radical from Tlaxcala were abducted, Huatulco businessman and erstwhile mayoral aspirant José Alfredo Lavariega was murdered portion driving his car successful coastal Oaxaca. A enactment accusing him of being a thief was near successful his car.

The Reforma paper reported past week that authorities are seeking to find whether determination is simply a nexus betwixt Lavariega, who was known arsenic “El Jocha,” and the young radical whose bodies were recovered successful and adjacent the conveyance located successful Puebla.

One theory, Reforma reported, is that the young radical from Tlaxcala traveled to Oaxaca to enactment successful Lavariega’s hotel.

El País noted that determination person been attempts to nexus the execution of Lavariega connected March 1 to the disappearance of the young radical from Tlaxcala.

On the aforesaid play the students from Tlaxcala were abducted, Huatulco businessman and erstwhile mayoral aspirant José Alfredo Lavariega was murdered. He had antecedently been seen interacting with the victims successful a video uncovered by Britain’s Daily Mail. (José Alfredo Lavariega/Facebook)

The British tabloid paper The Daily Mail is the main root of the mentation that determination is simply a nexus betwixt Lavariega and the 9 radical recovered dormant successful Puebla connected March 2.

In what was described arsenic an “exclusive” study published past Thursday, The Daily Mail said it was told by an authoritative astatine the “prosecutor’s office” — presumably the Oaxaca Attorney General’s Office — that “José ‘El Jocha’ Lavariega invited the victims, members of ‘Los Brujos’ [crime gang], to walk clip successful Oaxaca” astatine his hotel.

The paper described Lavariega arsenic “an aspiring mayor-turned-gang leader” and said helium “committed a cardinal misdeed successful the Mexican transgression satellite that led to the deaths of 9 students.”

It quoted the unnamed prosecutor’s bureau authoritative arsenic saying that Lavariega and the young radical from Tlaxcala were “friends.”

“… After the invitation to travel to the city, the victims allegedly asked the cartel boss if it would beryllium good for them to ‘steal’ and prosecute successful different transgression enactment portion successful Oaxaca, according to the source,” reported the newspaper, which published a video purportedly showing Lavariega joking astir with immoderate of the young radical from Tlaxcala staying astatine his hotel.

The Daily Mail said that “Lavariega yet led the young adults to their ain carnage by giving them the greenish light” to perpetrate crimes successful coastal Oaxaca, and they subsequently “set retired to perpetrate a question of muggings and thefts.”

“However, it did not beryllium good with 1 of the drug-selling transgression groups that operates successful Oaxaca,” the paper said.

“… ‘And past what happened, happened,’ Daily Mail quoted the authoritative arsenic saying successful notation to “the horrific murders and mutilations.”

As of midday Tuesday authorities successful Mexico person not publically said oregon suggested that the young radical from Tlaxcala were progressive successful transgression activities.

The paper Reforma and different Mexican media outlets person besides reported connected The Daily Mail’s nonfiction and video.

El País said that successful the aftermath of the abduction and murders of the young radical from Tlaxcala, “an aged signifier has been repeated that was created by the authorities of [former president] Felipe Calderón successful the alleged warfare connected drugs: the criminalization of victims of forced disappearance.”

The “justification,” the paper said, “is that if they were taken away, they were surely up to something; that if they were killed, they indispensable person done something.”

With reports from El País, CNN en Español, EFE, El Universal, El Sol de Tlaxcala, Reforma, The Daily Mail