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An official from the State of Mexico prosecutor’s office, who
spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to
make public statements, said his department located the bodies
in response to a request for assistance from investigators in
the capital.
The Mexico City prosecutors were investigating the May
disappearance of the couple, Zafar Padamese Mawani and Guillermo
Jafett Hidalgo Ortiz, in the southern part of the capital and
had made arrests related to the case.
Mawani and Hidalgo Ortiz lived in Chicago and Mexico City,
according to Cate Taylor, a spokesperson for Mawani's family.
NBC News Chicago reported in late May that the men were spending
time in Mexico to care for Mawani’s mother. The outlet also
reported unusual withdrawals from the couple’s bank accounts.
According to the federal government’s official missing-person
bulletin, Mawani is 56 and a U.S. citizen. The bulletin for
Hidalgo Ortiz, issued by Mexico City authorities, states that he
is also 56. It does not specify his nationality, but notes that
he was with Mawani when they disappeared south of Mexico City,
about 50 kilometers (31 miles) east of the mountains of La
Marquesa National Park.
Mexico City prosecutors have not released details about the
case. The U.S. Embassy in Mexico said they were aware of the
case in a brief message to AP, but did not offer more details.
The family has had representatives in Mexico City working with
authorities, Taylor said.
More than 135,000 people are missing in Mexico as a product of
criminal violence, according to the most recent federal data.
The number missing continues to climb even as homicide figures
have sharply dropped since President Claudia Sheinbaum took
office in 2024.
A total of 977 people were reported missing in Mexico during the
month of May, according to the country’s official missing
persons registry.
In recent days, relatives’ groups have staged protests while
Mexico serves as a co-host of the FIFA World Cup. They are
demanding greater attention to the issue and more resources for
searches, which are generally led by family members themselves.
One of their recurring complaints is that authorities act more
quickly when the missing people are foreigners.
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