The disappearance of 14 people who were traveling from the city of Oaxaca to Puerto Escondido, in the Costa region of the state, has caused concern among their families and local authorities.
Since January 7, there has been no news of the group, made up mostly of young people between 17 and 19 years old, who left in several vans along the new Oaxaca-Costa highway, which connects the Central Valleys with the Oaxacan coast.
According to the accounts of the relatives, the last communication with the missing people was recorded on the night of January 7. A member of the group called from Río Grande to report that they were already in the coastal area, but from that moment on they stopped responding.
A trip that became a nightmare
According to some search cards that are already circulating on social networks, among the members of the group it has transpired that there were Yurem de Jesús Barrios Martínez, 18 years old; Yair Morales Matías, 19 years old; Rafael Velasco Hernández, 19 years old; Julio Alberto Quiroz González, 19 years old; José Miguel Vásquez Rodríguez, 23 years old; and Luis Alberto Contreras Zúñiga, 44 years old, the latter who was driving one of the vans.
According to the testimonies of their relatives to local media, the trip was a recreational outing to Puerto Escondido, but some of the young people did not inform their parents about the trip.
The new highway on which the group was traveling reduces the travel time from five hours to two and a half hours, which makes this route a popular option for those traveling to the coast. However, this route has also been marked by incidents of insecurity in the region.
From the little that is known about the missing, it is known that according to their search files:
Yair Morales Matías
He is distinguished by several striking tattoos, among them a Santa Muerte on his left forearm, a clock in the shape of an arrow on the same arm and a legend with the names “Alexandra Matías and Salvador” on his right hand.
He also has tattoos of skulls, a rose and the legend “Faustine” on his chest, along with an angel design on his neck. He has piercings in both ears and is known for his unique style. At the time of his disappearance, he was wearing grey sweatpants, a Wilson brand sweatshirt of the same colour, white tennis shoes and a silver chain.
Julio Alberto Quiroz González
He is a young man of thin build, approximately 1.70 meters tall, with a light complexion, an oval face and short, straight, brown hair. His eyes are large, light brown, and his nose is of average size. He was wearing a gray sweatshirt, blue jeans and pink and white Jordan tennis shoes.
Yurem de Jesús Barrios Martínez
He is of thin build and approximately 1.70 meters tall. He has dark skin, an oval face, short, straight black hair, and medium-sized, dark brown eyes. At the time of his disappearance, he was wearing a white shirt, black jeans and white synthetic tennis shoes.
Luis Alberto Contreras Zúñiga
He was last seen driving a black Hyundai Creta pickup truck without license plates. He is a man of thin build and approximately 1.70 meters tall, with a light complexion, an oval face and short, straight brown hair.
He has distinctive tattoos, such as the eye of Horus on his left calf, Aztec symbols on his right forearm and multiple designs on his torso and arms, as well as scars on his forehead and face. He was wearing a black shirt with prints, navy blue jeans and red boots.
Prosecutor’s Office confirms only two complaints
In this context, the Attorney General of Oaxaca, Bernardo Rodríguez Alamilla, reported at a press conference that, so far, only two formal complaints have been received regarding the disappearance of members of the group.
During his participation in the morning conference this Monday, January 13, of Governor Salomón Jara, the prosecutor indicated that the institution began the search for the people through its Search Unit for Missing and Unlocated Persons (DNOL).
However, he acknowledged that, despite the fact that 14 cases have been reported on social networks, only two families have presented themselves to the authorities to carry out the official procedure.
“Directly, we only have two formal complaints that coincide with the period of disappearance,” said the Prosecutor, who added that the investigations continue, but so far there are no clear lines or significant progress in the case.
The newspaper Diario de Morelos stated that some relatives have reported that they have been the target of extortion, since people unrelated to the case have tried to take advantage of the situation by asking for money in exchange for supposed information on the whereabouts of the missing.
“Unscrupulous people have taken advantage of the situation, asking us for money in exchange for false information. This only increases our desperation,” they commented to the aforementioned media.
Faced with this situation, the relatives made an urgent call to the authorities to reinforce the search actions and guarantee security on the roads in the region.
Source: infobae
