With thousands missing, Mexican police focus only on World Cup

“We have Black Hawks with Mexican police flying over the Akron Stadium in Guadalajara. Mexico is beefing up security, deploying thousands of police officers and increasing surveillance as it prepares to host four World Cup matches here in June. But here in the state of Jalisco, more than 16,000 people are believed to be missing or murdered by drug cartels, private individuals and corrupt police. Victims’ families say the show of force for the World Cup is not helping. Violence erupted in the region after the military killed a powerful cartel leader in February, and now the government is working hard to maintain security and order. Four members of the family of police officer Ana Hatsumi Muñoz were last seen kidnapped in 2021 by armed men. “Searchers”. Today they received an anonymous tip that the body of one of her nephews may have been burned and buried at this abandoned site not far from the Guadalajara airport. Each of these searchers lost at least one family member. After two hours of digging, they found no clues. The government said it was targeting the criminal group behind the disappearances. Several people were recently rescued from the kidnapper’s hideout near Akron Stadium. Still, the number of missing people continues to rise. But finding the missing is a task. There is still a search committee in Mexico, but the group often digs on their own without police protection. Two days after we filmed with them, the team unearthed a bag of human bones buried 2.5 miles from Guadalajara airport after a plane ride by the Jalisco prosecutor’s office said it was investigating.