MEXICO CITY – In the sprawling metropolis of Mexico City, a disturbing anomaly persists: Ajusco, a vast, forested region where cell phone signals vanish, C5 surveillance cameras cease to operate, and administrative boundaries blur, creating a perfect storm for disappearances and the discovery of human remains. A recent investigation by ‘A dónde van los desaparecidos’ paints a grim picture of official inaction despite a decade of accumulating evidence.
The ‘No Man’s Land’ of Ajusco: A Decade of Disappearances
Lucía Flores, a collaborator on the report ‘Desaparecer en el Ajusco: una radiografía de la violencia,’ described the area repeatedly as a ‘no man’s land’ during an interview with Ana Francisca Vega on MVS Noticias. “Ajusco is a perfect location for no one to see and no one to know anything,” Flores stated, highlighting the strategic advantage this geographical isolation provides to perpetrators.
The investigation meticulously mapped out points where disappearances have been reported over the past 10 years and locations where human remains have been found. This map, Flores argues, reveals clear patterns that should trigger alarms within law enforcement agencies.
Pattern of Neglect: Unheeded Warnings and Repeated Obstacles
One chilling case documented in the report involves two individuals disappearing from the same street within a two-year span. In both instances, familiar obstacles resurfaced: non-functional cameras, a lack of witnesses, and, crucially, the absence of a contextual analysis that could have linked the events. “The information is available, but the authorities are not using that information to make this stop happening,” Flores asserted.
A Blind Spot in the Capital: Geography and Jurisdictional Chaos
Ajusco’s unique geography contributes significantly to the problem. Its extensive forested areas and poor signal coverage hinder the installation and operation of effective video surveillance systems. Furthermore, its proximity to other states complicates inter-agency coordination when disappearances occur or remains are discovered. These conditions, Flores explains, create spaces where reconstructing events becomes exceptionally difficult.
Security Presence, Persistent Problem
Even the presence of security forces, including the National Guard, has failed to stem the tide of disappearances and discoveries. “There is security, there is the National Guard, there are more authorities […] and yet these disappearances continue to happen,” Flores noted, suggesting that the issue extends beyond mere troop numbers. The capacity of these forces to respond effectively when families seek help is equally critical.
Flores recounted the heartbreaking case of Olín Fernando, whose vehicle was located by his own parents in Ajusco. When they sought assistance from authorities present in the area, they were reportedly told to go to the Public Ministry to file a report. “What’s the use of having authorities in Ajusco if they’re still going to tell you ‘I can’t help you because it’s not within my powers’?” Flores questioned, exposing a critical flaw in the system.
Families Lead the Search: A Desperate Quest for Answers
The search efforts in Ajusco, Flores revealed, did not originate from governmental strategies but from the relentless pressure and investigations conducted by the families of the disappeared. Starting in 2020, anonymous messages and clues unearthed by these families began directing searches to various parts of the forest. “These searches were driven by the families, not by the authorities,” she emphasized.
For over six years, these search efforts have continued across a vast and challenging terrain, highlighting a cruel paradox: one of Mexico City’s vital green lungs has become a haunting landscape where families desperately seek their loved ones and where human remains are found.
Information Without Results: A Systemic Failure
The investigation also scrutinizes the institutional response. Flores recalled that the Tlalpan mayor’s office established a working group over a year ago with various authorities specifically to address disappearances and findings in Ajusco. However, according to the journalist, no sufficient results have been made public to indicate what changes have stemmed from these meetings.
‘A dónde van los desaparecidos’ argues that the problem is not a lack of information. Disappearance points can be located, cases can be compared, and sufficient antecedents exist to identify risk areas. What is missing, Flores contends, is the translation of this data into a preventive and search strategy. “If it’s already identified as a red flag, [we need to] pay special attention to it,” she urged.
Ajusco thus encapsulates many of the systemic weaknesses plaguing Mexico’s disappearance crisis: families investigating and searching on their own, institutions fractured by jurisdictional disputes, insufficient surveillance, and existing data that fails to translate into effective prevention. “It seems that if they don’t talk about the issue, then it doesn’t exist,” Flores concluded, leaving a chilling indictment of official indifference.
