MEXICO CITY — A missing Chicago couple were among several bodies discovered on the outskirts of Mexico City last week, their family confirmed Wednesday.
U.S. citizen Zafar Padamese Mawani and his partner Guillermo Jafett Hidalgo Ortiz, who had relocated from Chicago to Mexico City, went missing in May south of the Mexican capital. Authorities had been searching for the men following several arrests linked to the case.
Detainees later guided authorities to the burial sites, enabling Mexican prosecutors to locate four unidentified bodies in the mountains.
On Wednesday, Mawani’s family announced that Mexican authorities had confirmed the deaths of the two men, mourning their loss.
“We are grateful beyond words to everyone who tried to help bring Zafar home to us – investigators on the ground, our core strategy and support team, authorities in both countries, generous volunteer organizations, as well as friends and loved ones who stepped forward to help without being asked,” the family wrote in a statement.
Mawani and Hidalgo Ortiz maintained residences in both Chicago and Mexico City, according to Cate Taylor, a family spokesperson. NBC Chicago reported in late May that the men were in Mexico to care for Mawani’s mother, noting unusual withdrawals from the couple’s bank accounts.
Mawani’s federal missing‑person bulletin lists him as a 56‑year‑old U.S. citizen. Hidalgo Ortiz’s bulletin from Mexico City authorities also lists him as 56, though his nationality is unspecified. Both men were last seen together south of Mexico City, roughly 50 kilometers (31 miles) east of La Marquesa National Park.
Mexico’s latest federal data shows more than 135,000 people are missing due to criminal violence, a figure that continues to rise despite a sharp decline in homicide rates since President Claudia Sheinbaum took office in 2024.
In May alone, the country’s official missing persons registry recorded 977 new cases.
Recent weeks have seen relatives’ groups protesting while Mexico co‑hosts the FIFA World Cup, calling for increased attention and resources for search efforts—often led by families themselves. A common grievance is that authorities respond more swiftly when the missing are foreign nationals.
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