A fire destroyed the home in Los Planes where 18-year-old Dayra Michell Geraldo Mendoza was found murdered on April 9, raising fears that critical evidence in the femicide case has been lost. The blaze broke out at approximately 3:43 a.m. on Sunday at the property on Calle Emiliano Zapata in the Centro neighborhood of San Juan de Los Planes, a small community about 45 minutes southeast of La Paz.
Emergency crews responded and extinguished the fire, but the structure sustained severe damage. The home had no police guard or permanent surveillance at the time, despite being an active crime scene in a femicide investigation.
No Guard Posted at Active Crime Scene
The lack of security at the site has drawn sharp public criticism. Residents and advocacy groups in Baja California Sur question why authorities left the property unprotected for days after the killing. The state attorney general’s office (PGJE, Procuraduría General de Justicia del Estado) said investigators had already collected 15 pieces of evidence from the home before the fire. However, critics say additional forensic material inside the dwelling may now be permanently destroyed.
The circumstances of the fire have fueled suspicion that the blaze was set deliberately to tamper with the investigation. Authorities have not publicly confirmed or ruled out arson.
Suspect Remains at Large
The prime suspect in the killing, Manuel Saiza, known by the alias “Manuel Loquera,” remains at large. Geraldo Mendoza was reported missing on the afternoon of April 9. That same evening, around 10:25 p.m., authorities received a report of a female body inside the Los Planes home. Officers and forensic specialists from the Criminal Investigation Division confirmed the body showed visible signs of violence.
Infobae reported that Geraldo Mendoza may have been pregnant at the time of her death, adding another layer of tragedy to the case. The PGJE had issued a missing person bulletin for the 18-year-old earlier on April 9, noting she was last seen that day in Los Planes.
Growing Outrage Across Baja California Sur
The fire has intensified scrutiny of how state prosecutors handle femicide cases in BCS. Mexico’s National Citizen Femicide Observatory has previously blamed failures in crime scene preservation and local police corruption for stalling justice in gender-based killings nationwide. The destruction of this crime scene fits a pattern that advocacy groups have long warned about.
Los Planes is a rural farming and ranching community in the municipality of La Paz, known to expats primarily as a stop on the road to Bahía de los Muertos. The case has drawn attention well beyond the area.
This story was first reported by Colectivo Pericú.