Michoacán Prosecutor’s Office Seeks José Manuel Jiménez Miranda, Carlos Manzo’s Chief Bodyguard

There are still loose ends to tie up following the violent murder of Uruapan Mayor Carlos Manzo, which occurred on the Day of the Dead in 2025. Authorities continue their efforts to find the alleged perpetrators and determine the motive for the crime.

In this regard, the State Attorney General’s Office (FGE) confirmed that there is an arrest warrant for Colonel José Manuel Jiménez Miranda, who served as head of security for the victim, who was killed on November 1, 2025, at the Candle Festival. Currently, the police commander, considered one of Manzo’s closest associates and now identified as the eighth person implicated in the investigation, is a fugitive.

According to the FGE, Jiménez Miranda was allegedly responsible for selecting the security team that accompanied the mayor, all seven members of which have already been arrested and charged with homicide by omission.

It should be recalled that Judge Luis Fernando Díaz Parra formally charged the seven bodyguards this week, who remain incarcerated at High Security Prison No. 1 in the municipality of Charo. Initial investigations indicate that all were part of the mayor’s inner circle of security and that several of them previously served in the Armed Forces.

Jiménez Miranda, a fugitive after Manzo’s murder

According to official reports, the colonel managed to escape during the operation in which his subordinates were apprehended. He hasn’t been located since, and the State Attorney General’s Office (FGE) is actively searching for him to execute the arrest warrant.

New reports indicate that the relationship between Jiménez Miranda and Manzo Rodríguez was fraught with tension. Before assuming the role of head of security, the colonel was appointed Secretary of Public Security for Uruapan, a position he held for only 28 days (from September 1 to 28, 2024) due to a domestic violence complaint that forced him to resign.

Despite the accusation, the mayor later reinstated him as head of his personal security detail, considering him a trusted member of his staff. As head of the team, Jiménez Miranda recruited the bodyguards who now face charges of negligence in the mayor’s murder. The investigation into this homicide continues, and any new developments in the case will be reported by TRIBUNA.

Sources: Tribuna, Cartel Insider Archives