Baja California Sur opened 1,071 criminal investigations for crimes against the family during the first three months of 2026, according to data from the Secretariado Ejecutivo del Sistema Nacional de Seguridad Pública (SESNSP), the federal body that compiles public security statistics nationwide.
Domestic violence accounted for the vast majority of those cases, with 807 investigations opened between January and March. That figure represents a slight increase over the same period in 2025, when state prosecutors recorded 784 domestic violence complaints. March was the worst single month, with 299 new case files opened.
BCS Ranks Among Highest Rates Nationally
The state ranked as the second-highest entity in Mexico for its per capita rate of domestic violence in January 2026, according to SESNSP data. Los Cabos is the municipality driving much of that count. The Specialized Unit for Domestic and Gender Violence within the municipal police force has reported receiving up to 15 domestic violence calls per day in Los Cabos alone.
Beyond domestic violence, prosecutors opened 252 investigations for failure to pay child support obligations during Q1. Eight additional cases were filed for gender-based violence outside the domestic violence category, all of them in the municipality of Los Cabos. That marks a notable shift: during the same quarter in 2025, zero gender-based violence cases were reported statewide.
Emergency Calls Paint a Broader Picture
The investigation numbers tell only part of the story. During the same three months, the 911 emergency system in Baja California Sur logged 1,184 calls related to intimate partner violence and another 1,035 calls for family violence. Those call volumes exceed the number of formal investigations opened, which means many incidents do not result in a criminal complaint.
BCS also ranked fourth nationally in per capita 911 calls related to sexual abuse incidents in January, with 13 cases reported that month. The state placed sixth in per capita emergency calls for intimate partner violence.
Recent Reforms and Ongoing Challenges
The state recently reformed its penal code to require that every violent death of a woman be investigated with a gender perspective from the outset. March 2026 also saw the first two feminicide cases of the year in BCS, adding urgency to prevention efforts.
Residents or visitors who experience or witness family violence can file a report at any Ministerio Público (public prosecutor’s) office in the state. The national emergency number is 911.
The data was first reported by BCS Noticias, based on federal SESNSP records filed by state prosecutors.