PUERTO VALLARTA (PVDN) – Since 1962, a shocking total of 897 people have gone missing in Puerto Vallarta, a trend that has put the region in the grip of a growing crisis. According to the National Registry of Missing and Unlocated Persons (RNPDNO), of the missing, 671 are men and 226 are women.
Although 412 people, representing 45.9% of the total, have been located over the years, the whereabouts of 485 people, accounting for 54% of disappearances, remain unknown, according to federal and state data.
Jalisco, home to Puerto Vallarta, currently holds the grim distinction of being the entity with the highest number of disappearances nationwide, with a historic tally of 23,801 missing persons. Six out of every ten persons remain unaccounted for, totaling 14,988.
Puerto Vallarta, a popular tourist destination, is experiencing a surge in disappearances, which authorities are struggling to control. During Mayor Luis Alberto Michel Rodríguez’s tenure alone, 71 people have been reported missing.
One of the latest, high-profile cases is that of Raúl Michel, who was last seen on May 25, the day Vallarta Pride was held. His disappearance, subsequent murder, and the perceived lack of response by the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office in Disappeared Persons in Puerto Vallarta have thrust this crisis into the public eye. Michel, a young man with a hearing disability and member of the LGBTQ+ community, became another statistic in Puerto Vallarta’s growing list of victims.
In a state comparison, Puerto Vallarta ranks seventh in the number of disappearances, trailing Guadalajara, Zapopan, Tlajomulco de Zúñiga, Tlaquepaque, Tonalá, and El Salto, according to the historical records.
Despite the federal registry requirement to list neighborhoods with the highest number of missing persons, most city cases lack information on the presumed location of disappearance.
Marisol Madero, Director of the National Prevention Network AC, in an interview with CPS News, cited numerous reasons for the growing number of disappearances, including social conditions in Jalisco and Puerto Vallarta’s high transient population. She also highlighted forced recruitment, sexual exploitation, kidnapping, and other crimes as significant contributing factors.
2019 marked the year with the highest number of disappearances: 135 men and 71 women. The majority of the disappeared women are young and minors, with at least 119 under 19 years of age, while most male victims are between 24 and 34 years old.
Of the total missing persons, 620 men and 207 women are of Mexican origin. International victims include 14 Canadians, 12 Americans, two Colombians, two Russians, a Salvadoran, a Venezuelan, a Guatemalan, and a Romanian woman.
In response to these alarming figures, the Jalisco government announced its efforts towards creating a state registry of missing persons. This move comes after media outlets and academics found that the state government does not report the number of missing persons to the RNPDNO as per the search files.
The state government maintains that it has complied with the requirements stipulated by the Missing Persons Law of the state of Jalisco, despite the apparent discrepancy in numbers. The law recognizes a missing person as someone whose location is unknown, regardless of whether their absence is linked to a crime or not.
Governor Enrique Alfaro has asserted that the state system’s data is accurate and reflects the reality in Jalisco. He further argued that the federal figures contain duplicate entries, indicating a lack of up-to-date record-keeping.
The mothers of the victims, faced with the authorities’ failure to find the missing and accurately account for the cases, have taken it upon themselves to form their search groups. On May 27, one such group uncovered human remains and bone fragments on a property known as Colinas Campestres, in El Colorado.
These groups lament the inability and lack of commitment by the authorities, criticizing them for merely collecting what was found in plain sight, rather than thoroughly excavating the area for further evidence.
PUERTO VALLARTA (PVDN) - Since 1962, a shocking total of 897 people have gone missing in Puerto Vallarta, a trend that has put the region . . .
