Baja California’s Attorney General’s Office (FGE) announced it has safely located eight people reported missing across the municipalities of Tijuana, Mexicali, and Tecate. Four of the eight are minors, and all were found in good health.
The four minors recovered are Cristian González Cervantes, 15; María José Escobedo Guevara, 15; Ohanna Mayde Sánchez Rivera, 12; and Natalia Burgos Abundis, 17. The four adults located are Paola Yesennia Rodríguez Martínez, 26; Pily Nohemy Flores Coronel, 24; Freddie Campos Fonseca, 41; and José Juan García Cárdenas, 56.
Specialized Disappearance Unit Led the Search
The FGE’s specialized unit for investigating forced disappearances and disappearances committed by private individuals coordinated the recoveries. The unit worked alongside other institutional departments and relied in part on tips from the public to track down the missing individuals.
The agency urged residents to continue sharing information to support ongoing missing persons cases. Baja California has long struggled with disappearances. According to the state attorney general’s office, nearly 13,000 people have been reported missing in Baja California since 2007. Nationally, Mexico’s National Registry of Missing Persons recorded more than 110,000 active cases as of mid-2023.
Disappearances Remain a Persistent Crisis in the Region
Tijuana, the state’s largest city, accounts for a significant share of those cases. Hundreds of disappearances are reported in Tijuana alone each year, and civilian search collectives have taken an active role in locating remains and pressuring authorities to investigate. In December 2024, the FGE held a formal working session with families of missing persons to discuss new investigative strategies.
Advocacy groups have repeatedly questioned official tallies, arguing the true number of missing people is higher than state records show. The Baja California Human Rights Commission has received complaints from families who say investigators have done little to search for their loved ones.
The safe recovery of all eight individuals, particularly the four children, marks a positive outcome in a region where many cases go unresolved for years. The FGE reiterated its commitment to locating missing persons and asked anyone with information on active cases to contact the agency directly.
The announcement was first reported by Jornada BC.