Mexico: Two detectives who were searching for 43 students missing for nearly a decade have been found

Mexican authorities announced on Tuesday (March 12) that the two investigators, tasked with locating 43 students missing for nearly a decade, have been found safe, just two days after their own disappearance in Guerrero, a state situated on Mexico’s Pacific coast. Details regarding how the two detectives, one male and one female, were located were not disclosed by authorities, leaving unanswered questions about their whereabouts and any potential captivity they may have endured.

Earlier, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador expressed apprehension over the disappearance of the investigators, linking it to entities opposed to uncovering the truth behind the case of the missing students. “I hope this is not related to those who do not want us to find the youths,” López Obrador remarked.

Guerrero state has long grappled with lawlessness, prominently highlighted by the unresolved case of 43 students from a rural teachers’ college who vanished in 2014. Suspicions of involvement by local officials and drug cartels in their abduction and murder have fueled unrest in the region.

The volatile situation escalated last week following the fatal shooting of a student by police, sparking protests. In response, students stormed state prosecutors’ offices, detonating explosives and vandalizing property, indicating deep-rooted anger and distrust toward authorities.

Efforts to locate the missing students have encountered obstacles, with minimal progress achieved thus far. Only a few bone fragments have been identified, as the rugged terrain and cartel dominance make the search for clandestine burial sites both arduous and perilous.