Mexico Records 15 Attacks on Missing-Person Searchers in 19 Months as 2025 Turns Deadliest
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · May 20
Mexico Records 15 Attacks on Missing-Person Searchers in 19 Months as 2025 Turns Deadliest
5 articles · Updated · The Guardian · May 20
Fifteen relatives searching for Mexico’s disappeared have been murdered or gone missing since President Claudia Sheinbaum took office 19 months ago, after 2025 logged seven murders and four disappearances — the deadliest year yet.
Artículo 19 says organized crime is targeting the mostly female searchers to silence the only people actively looking for clandestine graves, while most attacks remain unpunished and protection is patchy.
Sinaloa shows the pattern starkly: one member of the Hearts United for One Cause collective was stabbed to death in February and another was abducted in October, leaving fellow searchers to look for their own missing colleague.
The violence sits inside a wider crisis of more than 130,000 missing people nationwide; in Sinaloa alone, cartel fighting since September 2024 has left over 6,000 dead or missing and driven more families into searches.
With the UN citing 'crimes against humanity', why are the women searching for their children being systematically targeted?
How can Mexico host a safe World Cup while a cartel war targets the mothers of the disappeared?
Is the US-backed strategy of killing cartel kingpins inadvertently creating more violence and chaos across Mexico?
Over 133,000 Missing in Mexico: The Escalating Crisis of Disappearances, Organized Crime, and State Response
Overview
Mexico faces a deepening crisis, with over 130,000 people missing as of early 2026 and thousands of mass graves found across the country. The scale of disappearances has put immense pressure on President Claudia Sheinbaum, who has promised to seek truth and justice. However, the government’s official registry of disappeared persons is disputed, with claims of overcounting due to faulty data and duplicate reports from local prosecutors. This ongoing crisis highlights both the vast human toll and the challenges in accurately tracking and addressing disappearances, underscoring the urgent need for reliable data and effective action.