A man found shot to death in El Calvario, El Pitillal, in July 2022 has been preliminarily identified, but his body remains unclaimed at the forensic service in Puerto Vallarta nearly four years later.
The man is believed to be José Antonio Rábago Villafranca, according to a local report on the case and a public file maintained by the Instituto Jalisciense de Ciencias Forenses. Authorities still have to complete the formal process before any legal release of the remains can occur.
The case resurfaced after the search collective Una Luz Para Nuestros Desaparecidos Puerto Vallarta reviewed information from databases of missing persons and unidentified bodies. The group’s work helped establish a preliminary match through fingerprint biometrics and record comparisons.
Body was found on Genaro Padilla
The original case began on the morning of July 30, 2022, when authorities were called to Genaro Padilla Street in the El Calvario neighborhood of El Pitillal. A man had been found on the street, near parked vehicles.
A 2022 police archive said the man appeared to be between 35 and 40 years old and had two gunshot wounds to the head. Municipal police, emergency personnel, investigative police, and forensic staff responded to the scene, which was later processed as a homicide investigation.
The body was taken to SEMEFO in Puerto Vallarta. At the time, he was listed as unidentified.
Jalisco registry lists him as identified but unclaimed
The Jalisco government’s public page for identified but unclaimed deceased persons lists José Antonio Rábago Villafranca among people whose remains remain in state custody. The state says the information on that page comes from forensic analysis by the Instituto Jalisciense de Ciencias Forenses.
The same registry asks anyone who recognizes a person on the list to go to the family-attention area for unidentified deceased persons so the restitution process can move forward.
An official identification sheet for the case says the body entered the forensic institute on July 30, 2022, after being found at Genaro Padilla 438 in Puerto Vallarta. It also states that, as of the document’s publication, the body had not been claimed.
The file includes clothing and identifying details, including a red shirt with a gray center stripe, blue jeans, and black boots. It also lists tattoos, including one on the left side of the chest with the words “Rafa” and “Faby,” and another on the left forearm with a crown and the word “Naye.”
The case adds to a continuing problem in Jalisco’s forensic system, where families and search groups often rely on public files, tattoos, clothing, and partial records to connect unidentified or unclaimed bodies with relatives. Vallarta Daily has previously covered similar local identification cases, including two unidentified women in separate Puerto Vallarta investigations.
