Baja California Sur’s Secretaría General de Gobierno (SGG), the state’s general government office, will conduct a simulated missing teenager search at the Estero de San José del Cabo on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. The drill is designed to test and strengthen coordination among federal, state, and municipal agencies during child disappearance emergencies.
The exercise will take place at the protected estuary at the southern edge of San José del Cabo’s historic downtown, where freshwater from the Sierra de la Laguna mountains meets the Sea of Cortés. Emergency vehicles and uniformed personnel from multiple security and first-responder agencies will be visible in the area throughout the morning.
Multi-Agency Coordination Is the Goal
The state government organized the drill through the Comisión Estatal contra la Violencia hacia Niñas, Niños y Adolescentes, the state commission against violence toward children and adolescents. All three levels of government, including municipal police, state security forces, and federal agencies, are participating.
The scenario involves a missing person under 18 years old. Authorities said the goal is to improve response times and test protocols used when minors are reported missing in BCS. Mexico’s Alba Protocol, an emergency search mechanism activated when women or girls disappear, has been triggered multiple times in the Los Cabos municipality in recent years.
What Residents Should Know
The SGG asked residents and visitors near the estuary to remain calm if they see a large emergency response in the area on Tuesday morning. The activity is strictly a training exercise, not a real emergency.
The Estero de San José del Cabo is a 1.4-square-kilometer protected wetland home to more than 100 species of birds and other wildlife. It sits a short walk from downtown San José del Cabo and draws both locals and tourists for bird watching and kayaking. Vehicle access to the estuary is restricted as part of its conservation status.
The drill is part of broader preventive efforts in Baja California Sur to prepare institutions for missing persons cases involving children. The announcement was published by the BCS state government on April 27, 2026, via bcs.gob.mx.