Two young men have been missing in Tijuana since the night of Tuesday, April 21, after telling their families they were heading to play soccer at a sports facility in the Sánchez Taboada neighborhood.
Víctor Manuel Rodríguez Guzmán, 17, and Ulises Antonio Reynoso Pérez, 18, left for a sports unit on Vía Láctea street that evening and have not been heard from since. Their families reported them missing after losing all contact.
Suspicious Messages Raise Alarm
In the early morning hours of April 22, Facebook messages were sent from the two young men’s phones. Family members said the messages did not sound like Víctor or Ulises. The language and phrasing were unfamiliar, raising immediate concern that someone else had taken control of their devices.
Both phones went completely dark shortly after those messages were sent. Neither device has been reachable since.
False Tip Leads Nowhere
An anonymous tip placed the pair near the Tijuana River canal, but when families and authorities investigated, the information proved false. As of Thursday, April 24, there were no confirmed leads on the whereabouts of either young man.
The Sánchez Taboada neighborhood sits in central Tijuana, east of the Zona Río commercial district. The area is densely populated and home to several public sports facilities where pickup soccer games are common in the evenings.
Disappearances a Persistent Crisis in Tijuana
Tijuana has long struggled with disappearances, particularly of young men. Baja California’s FGE (Fiscalía General del Estado, the state attorney general’s office) maintains an active registry of missing persons, though families across the region have frequently criticized the pace of investigations. Organized search collectives led by parents of missing children have become a fixture of civic life in the city, often locating remains that authorities had not found.
Families are asking anyone with information about Víctor Manuel Rodríguez Guzmán or Ulises Antonio Reynoso Pérez to contact local authorities immediately.
This story was first reported by Punto Norte on April 24.