A mother and son who were part of a civilian group searching for the disappeared in Jalisco were shot and killed this week in a residential area near Guadalajara just weeks after helping uncover a mass grave site now under federal investigation.
María del Carmen Morales and her son, Jaime Ramírez, were members of Guerreros Buscadores, a collective that brought national attention to the Izaguirre Ranch in early March. They discovered over 200 pairs of shoes and human remains in a hidden crematorium used by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). Authorities later confirmed the site had been used by the cartel as a training ground and cremation center.
According to the Jalisco state prosecutor's office, Morales and her son were shot by gunmen on a motorcycle while collecting water from a park fountain in Tlajomulco. No suspects have been identified, and the prosecutor's office said it found no link between the murders and Morales' involvement with the search group, Reuters detailed.
However, Guerreros Buscadores representatives told El Pais that Morales had received multiple threats since February 2024, when she began searching for her son Ernesto, who was forcibly disappeared from the same neighborhood. "She was told to stop looking. First in a note left at her door, then by phone," said Raúl Servín, a spokesperson for the group. "They said there would be no third warning."
Following the threats, Morales stopped leading searches but continued to support the group. The fear within the collective has intensified since the discovery of the ranch, which they say was long controlled by the CJNG and used to lure people under false job offers before forcing them into criminal activity or executing them.
Morales is the 28th search activist killed in Mexico since 2010, according to A dónde van los desaparecidos, a journalistic project that tallies disappearances in Mexico. Another woman linked to the Izaguirre Ranch discovery, Teresa González Murillo, died earlier this month after being shot in the face by armed men who entered her home. Murillo, also known as "Teresita" belonged to "Luz de Esperanza Desaparecidos Jalisco" (Beacon of Hope for the Disappeared) and had received threats from criminal organizations as a result of her activism.
Over 124,000 people are currently missing in Mexico according to Reuters. Jalisco, a stronghold of the CJNG, remains one of the hardest-hit states.
Originally published on Latin Times
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