Puerto Vallarta (PVDN) – Three individuals, a woman and two men, have been sentenced to 56 years and three months in prison for their involvement in the disappearance of Canadian Malcolm Madsen more than four years ago in Puerto Vallarta. The woman, Marcela Acosta Ramos, was Madsen’s girlfriend at the time, and she remained in contact with her brother and son throughout the night of October 27, 2018, while Madsen and she celebrated her pre-birthday in separate establishments. The three aggressors were with Madsen in the town of Valle Dorado in the early hours of October 28, 2018, where he was last seen.
Madsen, a retired real estate agent and jeweler from Sutton, Ont., went missing after going out for drinks with Ramos at Andale’s Restaurant and Bar, a popular tourist spot in Puerto Vallarta. Madsen’s daughter, Brook Mullins, conducted her own investigation into his disappearance, which revealed that Ramos had taken a white pill or powder from her purse and sprinkled it into Madsen’s drink at Andale’s. Ramos claimed that she and Madsen returned home that night, and he left for his beachside treehouse the following morning, but Mullins’s investigation uncovered inconsistencies in Ramos’s testimony. For example, GPS tracking data showed that Madsen’s van traveled to several locations during the night, contradicting Ramos’s claim that the van remained in the garage all night.
The investigation into Madsen’s disappearance was initially slow, with local authorities failing to take basic steps such as retracing the van’s route, dusting the vehicle for fingerprints, conducting luminol tests for blood traces, or searching the house. These steps were only completed after Mullins’s lawyer filed motions with the Jalisco attorney general. In April 2022, local authorities conducted a ground search of a forested area of Puerto Vallarta, but they found nothing related to Madsen.
Mullins has criticized the lack of support from Global Affairs Canada, which she says has not provided her with information about her father’s case or helped to pressure local authorities to act. She recently asked Global Affairs for a translator for the upcoming trial, but the agency told her that it is the responsibility of the Mexican courts to provide translation services, although she can hire her own if she wishes. A Global Affairs spokesperson stated that the agency is providing consular services to the family in Canada and is in contact with local authorities to gather additional information.
Puerto Vallarta (PVDN) - Three individuals, a woman and two men, have been sentenced to 56 years and three months in prison for their involvement in . . .
