Colombian Family Missing in Mexico Located Safe and Sound in Durango State
The Colombian family that disappeared in Mexico at the end of October has been located in the state of Durango, according to a statement from the Zacatecas Prosecutor’s Office. The family, consisting of two adults and three minors, went missing while traveling from Mexico City to Ciudad Juárez, near the US border.
After an extensive search effort and coordinated work with authorities in Durango, the family was found staying in a hotel in the state capital. The Zacatecas Prosecutor’s Office confirmed that both adults and minors are in perfect health.
The family had set out on their journey to Ciudad Juárez on October 26. Attempts to locate them were unsuccessful, prompting the opening of an investigation by the Colombian Consulate and the issuance of search files by the Prosecutor’s Office. The family’s last known location, according to the search files, was the municipality of Calera in Zacatecas on October 27.
CNN reached out to the Colombian Consulate in Mexico for further information on the investigation, but a response has not been received yet. The individuals located are identified as Yulieth Andrea Alfonso Alfonso, 36 years old, Jorge Alejandro García Villamil, 44 years old, and their three minor children: Daniel José Martínez Alfonso, 11, Mía García Alfonso, 6, and Daniel Alejandro García Alfonso, 3.
CNN has also contacted the Attorney General’s Office of the Republic of Mexico and the Foreign Ministry of Colombia for additional details. While the Prosecutor’s Office has not yet responded, the Foreign Ministry stated that it currently has no further information on the case.
The Secretary of Government of Zacatecas ruled out the involvement of any armed group in the incident and confirmed that investigations are ongoing. However, it should be noted that the disappearance of the Colombian family is not an isolated case along the route from south to north Mexico. In Zacatecas alone, where insecurity issues are prevalent due to the activities of criminal groups, there have been 3,688 reported missing people, according to the latest official figures.
This incident comes in the wake of another recent case that garnered national attention, involving the disappearance of seven young individuals in September. Sadly, six of them were found dead after being abducted, while one was discovered alive.
As authorities continue their investigations, the safe recovery of the Colombian family offers a glimmer of hope amidst the troubling situation of missing persons in Mexico.