Nilda Perales Ramos, an 84-year-old woman from Laredo, Texas, was found unconscious and hypothermic on a road in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, on December 17. The elderly woman, abandoned in a wheelchair, remains under DIF protection as the prosecutor's office investigates the case. No family member has formally claimed her yet.
On December 17, Red Cross personnel located Nilda Perales Ramos, 84 years old and from Laredo, Texas, seated in a wheelchair at the side of kilometer 15 on the road connecting Matamoros to Playa Bagdad. The woman was unconscious, hypothermic, and dehydrated, possibly sedated with some substance for several days, according to initial medical analyses.
After her rescue, she was immediately transferred to Matamoros General Hospital, where she regained consciousness and provided her name, allowing the DIF System to confirm her identity. Héctor Hugo Gutiérrez, DIF Matamoros prosecutor, explained that Nilda was found with a bag of personal belongings near the wheelchair, which facilitated efforts to locate her family.
As of December 19, no relative has presented documentation to claim her, despite calls and approaches from people claiming to know her. Gutiérrez emphasized: "Without verifiable data, it is impossible to confirm the identity of those presenting themselves as family members." Nilda remains in a Tamaulipas DIF House, receiving specialized medical care and comprehensive support, with no visits or discharge authorized.
The Tamaulipas State Prosecutor's Office opened an investigation file to clarify the abandonment and possible other crimes. Reports indicate Nilda had been missing for five months, though it is unknown how she arrived in Tamaulipas. She was dressed in a gray sweatshirt, black pants, and had gray hair and a thin build.
This case has sparked outrage on social media, highlighting the abandonment of elderly people as a crime in Mexico.
