A drama with thousands of unscripted acts
The figure is a low blow. Of all the people reported missing since 2006, only 3,869 have an open investigation folder. The rest, more than forty thousand souls, are administrative records floating in limbo. President Claudia Sheinbaum said it clearly in the National Palace: this is the result of institutional failures that lasted years.
“Of those for whom we do not have complete records or any subsequent proof, whether alive or not, there are 43,128 from 2006 to date,” said the president.
The new rule: investigate or face consequences
Here’s the script change. Previously, registering a disappearance did not require opening a formal investigation. It was a procedure, just another piece of paper. Now, with recent reforms, omission has a price.
Sheinbaum explained that article 74 of the law establishes administrative responsibility. This can result in reprimands, fines and even dismissal of the official who does not comply.
“The omission of a public official is also classified as criminal; a file can be opened against an official who by omission did not open an investigation,” he stated forcefully.
The victim or his or her family must report to activate the process. Meanwhile, the federal government says it is working with state prosecutors’ offices so that every disappearance automatically generates that folder. It is going from passive registration to mandatory action.
The shadow of recruitment and lost data
There is a key piece of the puzzle that still does not fit: forced recruitment. Sheinbaum acknowledged that it is impossible to know how many disappearances are linked to this scourge because many files are almost empty.
“You have to go folder by folder to see what was the context in which the person disappeared and to know if there was recruitment,” he explained.
Many cases only have a name or alias. Minimum information for a maximum tragedy. To combat this recruitment mechanism, Marcela Figueroa, a federal official, reported on coordination with digital platforms.
The objective is to take down pages and accounts used by criminal groups to attract young people. The Ministry of Security asks technology companies to download these contents as soon as they are detected.
When asked about the specific figures for Felipe Calderón’s six-year term, Sheinbaum opted for caution: “we can give the data later.” But he left a clear statement about the timeline of the drama:
“The truth is that since 2006, the phenomenon of disappearance by individuals increases exponentially.”
In the darkest scenario, when an unidentified body is found, the forensic data is promised to be strengthened. The job, they say, is to identify each one and cross-reference that data with the endless list of missing people. It’s trying to write an ending for stories that take too many pages without a conclusion.
