Over Half of Femicide Perpetrators in Mexico City Not Detained
Mexico City, January 30, 2026 – More than half of the individuals responsible for femicides in Mexico City over the last six years have not been apprehended, according to data obtained via the National Transparency Platform. Between 2020 and 2025, the capital’s Superior Court of Justice registered 1,290 criminal proceedings for femicide. Of these, 565 cases have an arrested suspect, while 725 remain open without any responsible party detained, even if identified.
Demographics of Perpetrators and Unresolved Cases
The data reveals that 93% of femicide perpetrators in Mexico City are men aged between 18 and 93 years. Additionally, at least 86 women have also been identified as responsible for this crime. The oldest identified femicide perpetrator in the city’s penal system is a 93-year-old man, arrested in July 2024 for attempted homicide in the Iztapalapa borough after he allegedly tried to set his 28-year-old granddaughter on fire.
The number of femicide cases, punishable by up to 70 years in prison, has steadily increased before the Mexico City Court. In 2020, there were 156 investigations; this number rose to 200 in 2021, and 265 in 2022. While there was a slight reduction to 258 investigations in 2023, the number increased again to 325 in 2024.
High-Incidence Boroughs and Unidentified Crime Scenes
The boroughs with the highest incidence of femicides between 2020 and 2025 include:
- Iztapalapa: 113 cases
- Cuauhtémoc: 76 cases
- Tlalpan: 64 cases
- Álvaro Obregón: 60 cases
- Gustavo A. Madero: 58 cases
- Tláhuac: 40 cases
- Venustiano Carranza: 31 cases
- Milpa Alta: 28 cases
Other boroughs such as Coyoacán, Azcapotzalco, Benito Juárez, Iztacalco, Miguel Hidalgo, Magdalena Contreras, Xochimilco, and Cuajimalpa reported between 11 and 24 femicides each.
A significant challenge highlighted by the Court is that 663 femicide investigations, representing 51% of the total cases registered in recent years, lack a clear crime scene location.
Attempted Femicides and Incarceration Rates
Of the 1,290 femicides, 52% have been investigated and judged as attempted femicides, meaning the crime was not completed. The remaining cases resulted in 523 completed femicides, leading to the deaths of women.
According to the Undersecretariat of the Penitentiary System of Mexico City, the current number of individuals incarcerated in the city’s prisons for this crime is 494. This marks the highest number in the last five years, significantly up from 211 incarcerated femicide perpetrators in 2021, as per data obtained through transparency requests.
