Volunteers with the Fundación Todos Somos Erick Carrillo discovered charred human remains on March 25 in the Fuentes del Valle neighborhood of Tijuana’s East Zone during a routine search operation. The remains, found near a small body of water, were preliminarily identified as male. State prosecutors from the FGE (Baja California’s state attorney general’s office), municipal police, National Guard troops, and military forensic specialists secured the site to begin identification procedures.
Foundation Has Located 1,823 People Since 2019
The Fundación Todos Somos Erick Carrillo is one of roughly 30 search collectives operating in Baja California, about half of them based in Tijuana. Founded by Eddy Carrillo after his son Erick Carrillo Álamo disappeared on June 1, 2019, the organization conducts daily fieldwork in mapped zones across the city. Over nearly six years, the group has located 1,823 individuals, both living and deceased.
Carrillo moved from San Diego to Tijuana to dedicate himself full time to the search. In December 2024, the foundation located remains in the El Lago neighborhood of the East Zone that were confirmed as those of Erick Carrillo Álamo. A second set of remains found at the same site belonged to his friend, Francisco Iván.
Tijuana’s Missing Persons Crisis Drives Civilian Searches
Tijuana has been at the center of Mexico’s missing persons crisis for years. Nationally, Mexico has recorded nearly 100,000 disappearances, with roughly 52,000 unidentified bodies in morgues and cemeteries. Civilian search collectives have stepped in where government resources fall short, combing vacant lots, hillsides, and abandoned properties on the city’s eastern edge.
The East Zone, a sprawling area of colonias stretching from downtown Tijuana toward the Maclovio Rojas neighborhood near the border, has been a frequent site for clandestine graves. In January 2021, a group of searching mothers uncovered at least a dozen bodies on a property in Maclovio Rojas. In July 2023, volunteers found four bodies buried at another clandestine site east of downtown.
Forensic identification of the remains found on March 25 is now underway. The FGE has not released a timeline for results, though DNA testing in past cases has taken weeks to months. The foundation’s motto, “Prohibido rendirse” (It is forbidden to surrender), remains posted on its social media pages as searches continue daily across Tijuana, according to Punto Norte.