Over the past two decades, Mexico has faced a crisis regarding organized crime and systemic impunity that has resulted in a significant increase in missing persons cases. So far in 2025, Mexico has reported 7,399 such cases, an 18% increase from the same time last year, reflecting a steady escalation of the crisis nationwide. Cases peaked in the spring, with March resulting in 1,279 cases, and May, 1,377 cases.
Mexico City recorded the highest number of disappearances, at 1,099 cases, an 88% increase from 2024. Other cities, including the State of Mexico, Sinaloa, Michoacán, Baja California, Sonora, Jalisco, Guanajuato, and Nuevo León, followed closely behind, and are notably marked by high levels of violence and the presence of organized crime.
According to the National Search Commission and international organizations, more than 98% of cases remain unresolved in court. Systemic and state impunity have contributed heavily to the disappearance of many people, as perpetrators know their actions carry no legal consequences. Due to acquiescence of state actors in criminal activities, disappearances frequently occur with the direct and indirect involvement of government agents.
Even if the state is not directly involved in a disappearance, it has an inherent responsibility to prevent and punish perpetrators, as well as search for the disappeared, yet families have been forced to take on investigative roles. Similarly, search collectives have become the backbone of the fight against disappearances in Mexico, locating remains and demanding justice for victims and families.
Madres Buscadoras de Sonora, a search collective which has become an international and national symbol, has located more than 1,200 sets of human remains or bodies in clandestine graves and has pressed state and federal authorities to respond to reports of new burial sites since 2019. Last weekend, the group discovered a training camp believed to have been used by crime organizations to train or hold new recruits hostage. There, they uncovered human remains and about 200 articles of clothing at the site.
The majority of those who disappear in Mexico are between the ages of 15 to 29, and are most likely to be girls and migrants, according to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. Routes used for drug trafficking, human trafficking, and contraband often overlap with areas where disappearances are common, such as Tamaulipas, Jalisco, Guanajuato, and Guerrero.
The number of missing persons cases is projected to keep rising by 12% in 2025, according to a report by Red Lupa, emphasizing the importance of combating this human rights crisis in Mexico.
