He Chased After Mexico’s Vanished. Then ‘They Made Him Disappear’

Physical anthropologist and criminologist Juan Carlos Tercero is an expert in investigating underwater concealed murder cases. He recently embarked on a journey across Mexico, delivering insightful talks on the recovery of human remains. However, just as he was about to join Nayarit state’s commission for locating missing individuals, he mysteriously vanished. It has now been four months since Tercero was last seen leaving his Tepic home, and there are concerns that he may have been targeted due to his groundbreaking work. Shockingly, at least six mothers of missing people, who have been actively involved in the search, have also been found dead since 2021, as reported by the Guardian. Frustrated by the government’s inaction, relatives of Mexico’s missing persons have taken matters into their own hands, unearthing graves in an effort to bring the perpetrators to justice. Tragically, many of them have also become targets.

Marisol Madero, a criminologist and a close friend of Tercero, is acting as a spokesperson for his family. In an interview with the Guardian, Madero expressed her concern, saying, “If the people who are conducting these searches are disappearing, then imagine the fear that mothers and other groups dedicated to the search must feel.” She criticized the state prosecutor’s office, which oversees the commission Tercero was about to join, for showing no interest in the disappearance of one of its own members. Madero expected support, concern, and concrete actions from the authorities but instead encountered the opposite. She also revealed that the prosecutor’s office refused to provide Tercero’s family with a copy of his case file, which is legally required. According to experts, this lack of response is not surprising.

According to the National Search Commission, there are over 110,000 missing individuals in Mexico. However, this number is likely an undercount due to unreported cases, lack of trust in authorities, and pervasive impunity, as highlighted by the AP. Last year, the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances stated that government officials and criminal organizations are directly responsible for enforced disappearances. Karla Quintana, the former head of the National Search Commission, resigned last week, urging the government to prioritize prevention, search efforts, and combating impunity. Human rights groups view her resignation as a worrisome sign.

The Center for Human Rights Miguel Agustín Pro Juárez commended Quintana and her team for shedding light on the crisis of disappearances, despite facing resistance from prosecutors. However, the center expressed concerns that President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s actions would undermine the progress made in locating the missing and holding the culprits accountable. Tercero is just one of the more than 100 people reported missing in Nayarit state this year. Initially, the prosecutor’s office suggested that his disappearance could be due to personal matters. However, Tercero’s partner contradicted this claim, stating in April that he disappeared because someone forcibly made him vanish, not because he chose to disappear on his own accord. (Read more Mexico stories.)