Disappearances in Mexico surge by 200% over 10 years

"It was a bright morning in August 2022 when Angel Montenegro was taken. A 31-year-old construction worker, Montenegro had been out all night drinking with some work buddies in the city of Cuautla and was waiting for a bus back to nearby Cuernavaca where lived. At about 10am, a white van pulled up: several men jumped out and dragged Montenegro and a co-worker inside before speeding off."

"Montenegro is one of more than 130,000 people who are considered missing or disappeared in Mexico, an ongoing crisis that has devastated tens of thousands of families across the country. While disappearances began to surge in the early 2000s as the Mexican government sought to take on the country's cartels, a new report by the public policy analysis firm Mexico Evalua found that, in the last 10 years, disappearances have increased more than 200%."

Angel Montenegro, a 31-year-old construction worker, was abducted from a bus stop in Cuautla in August 2022; only his cap and a tennis shoe were left behind. More than 130,000 people are missing or disappeared in Mexico, leaving tens of thousands of families devastated. Disappearances surged beginning in the early 2000s and increased over 200% in the last decade. The rise reflects criminal groups expanding control across large territories and diversifying activities beyond drug trafficking. Expansion includes forced recruitment and violent elimination of rivals, contributing to lethal violence and a national-level crisis that has become largely uncontrollable.

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