A forced disappearance search collective recovered the bodies of two men from Durango state on the slopes of Cerro Cuchumá near Tecate, both killed by gunshot wounds. The victims, Wothwualf Zavala Ángulo, 24, and Gustavo Rodríguez Ruiz, 35, had last been seen alive on December 26, 2025, after traveling to the border region with a smuggler to attempt a crossing into the United States.
Searchers located the burial site on March 21 using a drone that detected unusual vegetation growth consistent with a recent grave. The bodies were found buried in an area commonly used as a migrant campsite and were in an advanced state of decomposition. Both men had gunshot wounds to the head and torso. Family members confirmed the identities based on clothing and personal markings.
Migrant Campsite Littered With Belongings
The search team also found discarded identification documents, food, clothing, and tents scattered along the path near the burial site. The area around Cerro Cuchumá and Rancho La Puerta is a well-known migrant crossing corridor on the eastern edge of Tecate, just south of the California border. Smugglers, known as coyotes, regularly guide groups through the rugged hillside terrain to reach U.S. soil.
Cerro Cuchumá has been the site of repeated migrant violence in recent years. In September 2023, two Mexican migrants were shot dead and three others wounded in a dawn attack on the same hill. In November 2024, Mexico’s National Guard fatally shot two Colombian migrants and wounded four others during a confrontation with smugglers on a dirt road near Tecate. The hill, considered sacred by at least one Indigenous group, sits in a corridor where cartel-controlled passage rights often determine who crosses safely.
No Arrests Reported in Ongoing Investigation
No arrests have been made. Baja California’s state victims’ commission (CEAV) is coordinating to bring the families from Durango to Tecate to formally claim the remains. The investigation into who killed the two men remains open.
The discovery points to the persistent dangers migrants face in the Tecate corridor, where armed groups enforce territorial control over smuggling routes. Migrants and their smugglers who have not paid passage fees, or who are affiliated with rival organizations, are frequent targets of violence along these paths.
This story was first reported by Punto Norte.