A 17-year-old identified by family as Miguel Ángel, known locally as “El Pollo,” was found dead early Tuesday after being swept away by fast-moving stormwater the night before in Puerto Vallarta’s Ixtapa area. Relatives located his body around 3 a.m. near the Villas Universidad subdivision as the water level dropped, after authorities had paused the official search around 12:10 a.m., according to local reports.
Emergency crews from Municipal Police, Civil Protection, and Firefighters responded to the scene and coordinated with state forensic personnel for the recovery. The teen had disappeared during heavy rains on Monday night, when floodwaters surged through the canal network that connects with the University of Guadalajara’s Coastal University Center (CUC) area.
Earlier in the night, responders and soldiers had searched the north-side neighborhoods of Ixtapa after reports that a motorcyclist had been pulled into the current. They found a black Italika motorcycle during those efforts, but not the rider.
By morning, multiple outlets confirmed the recovery and the location near Villas Universidad. One account places the discovery behind a CUC campus dome, several kilometers from where he was first swept away. Family members had kept searching on their own after seeing coverage of the incident.
Miguel Ángel was a construction worker and, according to neighborhood media, originally from the state of Guanajuato but living in Las Juntas. Friends and relatives described him to reporters as a cheerful kid who was well-liked.
Local authorities again urged residents not to try to cross flooded streets, vados, arroyos, or canals during storms. The rainy season turns small channels into dangerous currents in minutes; Monday’s tragedy underscored how quickly conditions can change.
