Mazatlán Becomes a Bermuda Triangle of Disappearances for Families from Durango: “As if the Earth Had Swallowed Them Whole”

Mazatlán has become a hot spot for families from Durango. This is the warning issued by mothers, collectives, and search groups who, for at least two years, have documented an increase in the disappearances of young people.

Sinaloa, and Mazatlán in particular, has become a danger zone for families from Durango. This is the warning issued by mothers, collectives, and search groups who, for at least two years, have documented an increase in the disappearances of young people from Durango in this tourist port, which, they say, “has become an uncertain territory for those who once considered it a safe destination.”

While collectives like Madres Buscadoras de Durango (Searching Mothers of Durango) have documented more than 18 active cases between 2024 and 2025, the Durango State Attorney General’s Office (FGED) officially acknowledges slightly less than half of these cases.

There is no unified registry, but there is a shared feeling: time is passing, the anguish is growing, and families continue to wonder what is happening to the people from Durango who disappear in Mazatlán, a destination historically linked socially and economically to Durango.

Mothers from Durango united against institutional neglect

The Madres Buscadoras de Durango collective, consulted by MILENIO, has documented at least 18 disappearances of people from Durango in Sinaloa, most of them in Mazatlán. The group maintains an internal registry that includes names, case numbers, dates, and notes about the obstacles families face in their search for justice.

The list includes cases such as that of Helena Vela Leyva, who disappeared in Mazatlán, as well as those of Óscar Uriel García Valenzuela, César José García Pulido, and María de Jesús Carrillo Mena, among others with open investigation files.

However, even more serious situations are also documented: files that were never opened, complaints that were rejected, and visits to the Mazatlán Vice Prosecutor’s Office where no case number or record of attention was provided.

Multiple Disappearances and Unsuccessful Investigations

Among the most heartbreaking cases is that of the family group consisting of Erika Gabriela Cardoza Guevara, Fátima Jazmín González Cardoza, Alondra Jaqueline González Cardoza, Erik Gabriel González Cardoza, Rodolfo Miguel González Cardoza, and Joaquín Alexander Cardoza Guevara, who disappeared together after being taken from their home in Culiacán.

According to the collective, the Mazatlán Prosecutor’s Office has repeatedly refused to file reports, even when the incidents occurred within its jurisdiction. One of the most striking examples is the case of Rodolfo Miguel González Cardoza, where it was argued that “no complaint exists” because “they no longer wanted to file the report.”

Despite this, the searchers affirm that they will continue to document each case “until the authorities do their job.”

“This should already be a warning,” warn searchers

A spokesperson for the collective, who requested anonymity for security reasons, stated in an interview with MILENIO that “at least 18 cases between 2024 and 2025 should already be a warning about what is happening in Mazatlán.”

She added that they continue to receive reports from families in Durango whose relatives’ last known location was the Sinaloa port city.

Carmina and the search for Helena: a mother who perseveres while her body breaks down

Among the stories that reflect the human face of this crisis is that of Carmina Vela Leyva, mother of Helena Vela Leyva, an 18-year-old girl who disappeared on June 24, 2025, in Mazatlán.

With a broken voice, Carmina repeats her daughter’s name over and over again, clinging to every memory. She told MILENIO that Helena traveled on June 23 in a 2011 Grand Cherokee, accompanied by Manuel Vizcarra, who is also missing. The young woman had an appointment at a workshop to have leather seat covers installed in the vehicle.

They left Durango around 5:00 p.m. At 8:00 p.m., Helena reported that she had arrived at a relative of Manuel’s house. That was the last clear contact. Later, at 10:51 p.m., she sent a message from the beach. At 4:20 a.m., she wrote again: she had been waiting for Manuel outside the restroom for more than 20 minutes. After that, there was no further communication.

Delayed reports, failed procedures, and cameras that “don’t work”

Carmina traveled to Mazatlán on June 24, but was unable to file a police report.  According to her account, Manuel’s family asked her to wait because “there was a negotiation” underway with those who allegedly had the young men. The report was finally filed on June 26.

Since then, the search has been plagued by obstacles: The report for the stolen vehicle wasn’t accepted because she didn’t have the necessary documents; the traffic cameras were “under repair”; the bar La Malinche, the last place they were seen in a live broadcast, had no security camera footage; and the request for call records was hampered by administrative errors.

For two months, she received no information about the progress of the case. The Durango Attorney General’s Office reiterated that it cannot intervene because the events occurred in Sinaloa.

“It’s as if the earth swallowed them whole,” she lamented.

A mother marked by the search

While the investigation remains stalled, Carmina’s life has changed drastically. She neglected her health to the point that a foot infection, aggravated by diabetes, led to the amputation of her leg below the knee. She is currently receiving physical therapy and learning to use a prosthesis.

“My daughter is my world… and I neglected everything,” she confesses.

Helena dreamed of flying. She was about to enroll in the Air Force Academy to train as a cargo officer, with the goal of becoming a pilot. “Since preschool, she wanted to be a pilot,” her mother recalls.

“Mazatlán is already a hotbed of danger,” families warn.

Today, Carmina is part of the Buscando Emilios (Searching for Emilios) collective, made up of families from Durango and Sinaloa. For her, Mazatlán has become a dangerous place for young people from Durango. “The way my daughter disappeared is very similar to other cases,” she says.

This coming December 26, Helena would have turned 19. Carmina pleads that the date not pass in silence. “As long as I breathe, I will keep searching for her.”

Durango Prosecutor’s Office Acknowledges Eight Cases and Advises Against Travel

MILENIO requested information from the Durango State Attorney General’s Office. As of October 15, Prosecutor Sonia Yadira de la Garza Fragoso reported that the institution acknowledges eight confirmed disappearances of Durango residents in Mazatlán, in addition to one more in Culiacán.  Most of the victims, she noted, are young people between 20 and 30 years old.

Among the confirmed cases are Alan Alberto Amézquita, Ruby Amairany Correa, Helena Leyva, Manuel de Jesús, Uriel Carrillo, David Eduardo Soto, and Carlos Emilio Galván, among others whose names have been widely circulated on social media.

The prosecutor explained that Durango is in communication with Sinaloa authorities and has requested federal assistance.  Analyses of cell phones, locations, and previous records are being conducted.

Following the case of Carlos Emilio, she issued a public appeal: “Avoid traveling to Sinaloa while this situation persists,” and even warned about risks on the Durango–Mazatlán highway.

Violence in Mazatlán and Disagreement Among Authorities

Mazatlán and nearby municipalities, such as Concordia, have experienced clashes between criminal groups, roadblocks, illegal checkpoints, and military operations in recent months. Although federal authorities have reinforced the area, risk warnings persist.

From Sinaloa, the stance was different. Governor Rubén Rocha Moya publicly rejected the alert issued by the Durango prosecutor:

“We don’t believe there is a reason to issue an alert. Mazatlán continues to receive tourists without evidence of a crisis that would justify not traveling there.”

A Darkening Map

Each new name, each missing person report, and each case without a formal investigation file turn the Durango-Mazatlán route into an increasingly uncertain territory for dozens of families.

For the activist groups, the crisis lies not only in the disappearance of young people from Durango, but also in the lack of clear answers in Sinaloa and Durango’s inability to intervene when the lives of its residents depend on urgent action.

While authorities debate alerts, statements, and jurisdictions, the mothers continue to do what—they assert—the State has failed to do: search. Because in Mazatlán, they say, it’s not only young people who disappear; justice disappears too.

Source: Milenio