Puerto Vallarta, Mexico – An extensive search operation in Puerto Vallarta, led by COBUPEJ and federal and local authorities, resulted in the discovery of skeletal remains and personal effects. Read about the ongoing investigation and broader context of disappearances in Jalisco.
On May 26, 2025, a coordinated search operation launched in Puerto Vallarta led to the discovery of skeletal remains and personal belongings believed to belong to missing individuals. The operation—conducted in the Santa Cruz de Quelitlán area (Las Palmas delegation) and the Vallarta Centro neighborhood—was carried out by the State Commission for the Search of Missing Persons in Jalisco (COBUPEJ), working alongside relatives of the disappeared, local law enforcement, and federal security forces (Informador, June 2, 2025).
Operation Details
From May 26 through May 30, search teams conducted ground sweeps, georadar scanning, and test pits (“sondeos”) in areas difficult to access, supplemented by drone overflights. Forensic specialists from the Jalisco Institute of Forensic Sciences (IJCF) collected the remains and transported them to their laboratories for analysis to determine whether they are human and to attempt identification (Informador, June 2, 2025). On May 30, volunteers and family members distributed flyers with information about missing persons throughout the Las Palmas delegation to encourage community involvement and gather tips (Informador, June 2, 2025).
Participants included the Puerto Vallarta Search Cell; the Jalisco Secretariat of Public Security; the Attorney General’s Office for Missing Persons (Vicefiscalía de Personas Desaparecidas); the National Guard; the Secretariat of National Defense (SEDENA); and the “Una Luz para los Desaparecidos de Vallarta” collective. According to COBUPEJ guidelines, multi-agency collaboration is critical to locate clandestine burying sites and exhume possible human remains (COBUPEJ official statement, 2024).
Background: Missing Persons Crisis in Jalisco
Jalisco has grappled with a sharp rise in disappearances over the past decade — a crisis fueled by organized crime, cartel violence, and insufficient investigative resources. As of April 30, 2025, the Jalisco State Registry of Missing Persons reported 15,618 unlocated individuals (COBUPEJ registry, April 30, 2025). Nationally, Mexico has reported over 124,000 missing people, a figure exacerbated by drug-related violence since 2006 (Reuters, March 17, 2025).
Puerto Vallarta ranks seventh among Jalisco municipalities for disappearance reports, with 513 cases recorded as of late April 2025. Only Zapopan (4,102), Guadalajara (3,765), Tlajomulco (2,908), Tlaquepaque (2,156), Tonalá (1,987), and Lagos de Moreno (1,254) have higher counts (COBUPEJ registry, April 30, 2025). The high volume of cases in these municipalities reflects both urban cartel activity and historic challenges in rural areas where clandestine graves have proliferated.
In March 2025, volunteer search collectives uncovered a mass grave at Rancho Izaguirre in Teuchitlán, near Guadalajara. That site—which reportedly contained makeshift crematoria, charred human remains, and personal items—highlighted systemic gaps in official investigations and prompted protests and calls for federal intervention (Reuters, March 17, 2025; Al Jazeera, March 26, 2025). The discovery spurred President Claudia Sheinbaum to issue a decree strengthening the National Commission for the Search of Missing Persons (CONAPO) and propose additional reforms to improve forensic capacity and cross-agency cooperation (Reuters, March 17, 2025).
Search Methodology and Challenges
COBUPEJ has developed standardized protocols for locating clandestine burial sites that combine local intelligence, geophysical surveys, and community tips. Ground-penetrating radar (georadar) helps teams identify anomalies consistent with buried remains or disturbed soil. Test pits then verify those anomalies. Drone reconnaissance provides aerial imagery to map remote areas and assess access routes. Likewise, volunteers and relatives often guide search teams based on anecdotal information, which can be crucial in regions lacking formal reporting mechanisms.
Despite improved techniques, search operations face obstacles: dense vegetation in rural valleys, limited funding for sustained prosecutions, and security risks from organized crime groups that may guard clandestine sites. In Puerto Vallarta specifically, mountainous terrain around Santa Cruz de Quelitlán complicates both ground and aerial surveys. Moreover, witness intimidation can hinder community members from sharing information.
Discovery in Santa Cruz de Quelitlán and Vallarta Centro
During the May operations, searchers in Santa Cruz de Quelitlán identified skeletal fragments partially obscured by accumulated debris in a ravine. Nearby, they found personal effects — clothing fragments, a pair of shoes, and loose bones—that experts believe may date back several years. In Vallarta Centro, investigators uncovered additional skeletal remains beneath a sand-and-gravel surface near an abandoned lot. Regardless of location, all material evidence was carefully documented in photographs, GPS-tagged maps, and chain-of-custody reports before being transported to IJCF labs (Informador, June 2, 2025).
Lab analysts are now conducting forensic anthropological assessments to establish whether the bones are human and, if so, applying osteological techniques to estimate age, sex, and possible trauma. DNA samples from the remains will be compared with profiles from COBUPEJ’s database of family reference samples. The goal is to identify individuals and notify next of kin. “Our priority is to provide answers to families and ensure proper handling of all human remains,” said an IJCF spokesperson (IJCF official statement, May 2025).
Community Response and Family Involvement
Family members of missing persons participated directly in the search effort, drawing on their knowledge of disappearance circumstances and potential burial sites. Relatives often form local collectives to advocate for government support and share resources—ranging from food and water for search teams to lodging for volunteers from neighboring municipalities. In Puerto Vallarta, the “Una Luz para los Desaparecidos de Vallarta” collective has coordinated support, conducted awareness campaigns, and maintained a roster of missing-persons profiles since its inception in early 2024 (Una Luz collective bulletin, April 2025).
On May 30, volunteers distributed hundreds of missing-persons flyers in Las Palmas neighborhoods, encouraging tip submissions via a dedicated hotline. Community assemblies held during the week of the operation allowed families to review progress updates from COBUPEJ and IJCF officials. These forums are common in Jalisco, where transparency helps build trust between authorities and communities historically wary of impunity.
Looking Ahead: Forensic Analysis and Legal Process
Forensic results are expected in the coming weeks. If the remains are confirmed human, COBUPEJ will attempt to match DNA profiles with reference samples submitted by families. Positive identifications lead to official death certificates and closure for families. When unidentified, the remains remain in temporary custody while public appeals may continue. Regardless of identification outcomes, COBUPEJ will publish an interim report summarizing search efforts, methodologies, and findings.
Legally, discoveries of remains can prompt new investigations by the Jalisco Attorney General’s Office into potential extrajudicial abuses, cartel involvement, or neglect by previous administrations. In March 2025, federal authorities took over the Rancho Izaguirre investigation after Jalisco state investigators had failed to identify remains or pursue forced disappearance charges. That case underscores the importance of independent oversight to ensure that evidence from search operations leads to prosecutions rather than languishing in forensic limbo (Reuters, March 17, 2025).
Broader Context: Strengthening Search Efforts
In early 2025, the Mexican federal government allocated additional funding to CONAPO and state commissions to expand forensic labs, train specialized personnel, and deploy mobile units equipped with georadar and satellite communication tools (Government of Mexico budget report, FY 2025). Jalisco, as one of the states with the highest number of reported disappearances, has prioritized interagency coordination. Yet critics argue that sustainable progress requires reforms to the judicial system, including faster case processing and severe penalties for crimes linked to clandestine burial sites.
The discovery in Puerto Vallarta reflects both the scale of the crisis and the determination of local communities to recover their missing loved ones. While forensic teams work to confirm identities, families await official notifications. For many, each new discovery brings hope that their relatives, long feared lost, may at last be found.
Sources:
- Informador.mx, “Puerto Vallarta: Hallan restos óseos durante operativo de búsqueda de personas desaparecidas,” June 2, 2025.
- COBUPEJ State Registry of Missing Persons, April 30, 2025.
- IJCF official statement, May 2025.
- Reuters, “Mexican president pledges stronger missing persons efforts after mass grave,” March 17, 2025.
- Al Jazeera, “How the discovery of a mass grave sparked uproar over the missing in Mexico,” March 26, 2025.
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - An extensive search operation in Puerto Vallarta, led by COBUPEJ and federal and local authorities, resulted in the discovery of . . .
