Guanajuato state prosecutors confirmed the discovery of 20 bodies in clandestine graves across various properties and closed areas in Valencia de Fuentes, Cortázar. Mayor Mauricio Estefanía initially reported more than 15 bodies found by search collectives and prosecutors in one property.
Municipal authorities in Cortázar, led by Mayor Mauricio Estefanía, initially reported that search collectives and the Guanajuato State Prosecutor's Office had located more than 15 bodies in a property in the Valencia de Fuentes community.
Following investigative progress, state prosecutors confirmed the human remains are distributed across various properties and closed areas, with evidence found at least four distinct points. This discovery underscores ongoing violence in Guanajuato, one of Mexico's most affected states by organized crime.
Nationally, Mexico records over 128,000 missing persons according to the Interior Secretariat's registry, covering data from the last century. The most impacted age group is 25 to 29 years, with 17,690 unresolved cases.
Groups like I(dh)eas have highlighted UN warnings on rising forced disappearances in Mexico, which has logged 819 urgent actions from 2012 to February 2026, 38% of the global total.