The five young people who disappeared in Xalapa in 2020 were found dead.

A tragic discovery after years of search and institutional neglect

The bodies of five young people kidnapped in 2020 in Palo Gacho were found. The discovery occurred in Úrsulo Galván, after almost five years of constant searching. The families never stopped; they examined, asked, reported, and moved forward, despite the institutional neglect.

The collective Familiares Enlaces Xalapa was present from the beginning, joining every step, every search day. They were the ones who helped identify the remains, they did it carefully and with the experience gained in pain.

The news shocked the community. The discovery brought answers, but also a deeper wound. The families thanked the support, but insisted that this is not over. Justice is missing, truth is missing, punishment is missing.

The young people disappeared after being taken by an armed group at the bar "Michelucas," in Emiliano Zapata. Since then, the authorities have only given empty promises and minimal progress, as is usual in Veracruz. The case was made invisible by the state's Prosecutor's Office, until the remains appeared thanks to the work of the collectives.

The families did the work the State refused to do

The victims are Marcos Reyes, Iván Aguilar, Iván Sosa, Mario Figueroa, and Cedrik Ramírez, young people between 19 and 32 years old with normal lives cut short by violence. The FGE of Veracruz has not yet given an official stance or details of the discovery.

The collective denounced that neither the date nor the conditions of the discovery have been informed. Once again, it was the searching mothers who did the work of the State, while the Prosecutor's Office remains silent.

Veracruz: land of mass graves, institutional silence, and simulation

The case highlights the forensic and disappearance crisis in Veracruz, a state with more clandestine graves than solved investigations, where remains appear every week and the authorities barely react.

The families demand a thorough investigation, punishment for those responsible, and recognition of official negligence. But everything points to the case being shelved, like so many others.

Another case that confirms the State's failure

This case is not isolated. It is part of a national tragedy that the government prefers to ignore. It is also another example of the total abandonment experienced by families seeking justice.

Meanwhile, the government boasts manipulated figures, the reality remains in the graves. The dead appear, the guilty remain free, and the pain is carried by the mothers, alone and without answers.