Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, July 6, 2026 — Three students reported missing after last being seen June 25 in El Zancudo were located alive and are now with relatives, Jalisco prosecutors said Monday.
The case is not fully closed. The Jalisco Fiscalía said the search actions tied to the three students have concluded, but the investigation will continue to clarify what happened during the days they were absent.
The students were identified in official search alerts as Flor Yoselin Espinoza Contreras, 18; Elvira Monserrat Guzmán Mascorro, 14; and José Israel Ramos Mejía, 17. They were reported missing after being last seen in El Zancudo, a locality within the municipality of Puerto Vallarta. Their disappearance drew wide public attention after search cards were shared across local and state social media.
In a public update, the Jalisco Fiscalía said the three were found in good health after work by the Vicefiscalía en Personas Desaparecidas. The agency said investigators established that the students arrived by their own means with a family member, where authorities confirmed their condition.
The confirmation changes the status of a case PVDN covered last week, when the three Vallarta youths remained missing as alerts widened. At that stage, public search efforts were still active, and families were asking for help sharing the official cards.
The Fiscalía has not publicly released a detailed timeline of the students’ whereabouts between June 25 and their return to their relatives. It also has not said whether any person is under investigation, whether formal statements have been completed, or whether the case is connected to any broader criminal inquiry.
Jalisco’s missing-person system uses several channels based on the age, sex, and risk profile of the reported missing person. The state’s Fiscalía Especial en Personas Desaparecidas says reports can be made as soon as someone’s whereabouts are unknown, without waiting 24 hours. For children and adolescents, the agency may activate Alerta Amber Jalisco; for girls, adolescents, and women, it may also activate Protocolo Alba Jalisco.
The Fiscalía’s own guidance asks families to have recent photos, identifying details, the last known location, phone information, and possible contacts ready when making a report. The agency also says people may call 911 when a disappearance has just happened so the nearest police unit can respond.
