Missing Minors Located in Apatzingán; Possible Recruitment Under Investigation

Minors Edgar Alejandro and Marco Antonio were located by the Apatzingán Regional Prosecutor’s Office while they were in the city center; they had gone missing after leaving their communities in Los Reyes, allegedly lured by a job offer that—according to accounts from local residents—was linked to a criminal group.

According to testimonies gathered in Pamatácuaro, the teenagers were reportedly transported by a taxi driver identified as Enrique, who allegedly drove them to Apatzingán, where they were supposedly to be inducted into criminal activities—tentatively on behalf of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).

Despite the recovery of both youths, residents of Pamatácuaro maintain that the minors had already been recruited and that the taxi driver played a role in the recruitment process.

“I don’t know for sure, but the conclusion is that they had already been recruited. The people from Pamatácuaro—the ringleader and the taxi driver—I am certain they were involved,” stated one of the residents interviewed after news of the teenagers’ discovery broke.

The disappearance of the minors sparked protests in the communities of Sicuicho and Pamatácuaro, where residents blocked the Los Reyes-Uruapan highway last Saturday afternoon to demand immediate search and rescue efforts.

In a video circulated on social media, one of the individuals involved in the efforts to find them reported that both youths had been located by investigative authorities in Apatzingán.

“They have found the boys safe and sound; they were wandering around the city center. That’s where they picked them up; the Prosecutor’s Office has them in custody now,” he stated.

The same message notes that the families have already been notified and expresses gratitude for the support provided during the search, even as doubts persist among community members regarding how the teenagers made it to Apatzingán and who was involved in transporting them.

Source: Contramuro