Reports of missing minors increase in Baja California Sur

Los Cabos is the municipality that accounts for more than half of the active records in the National Registry

Collage menores desaparecidos — In just one week, at least six reports of missing minors were recorded, according to information from the PGJE. / Photo: Courtesy / PGJE

Gilberto Santisteban Flores

According to data published in the National Registry of Missing and Unlocated Persons of the Government of Mexico, as 2025 nears its end, Baja California Sur reports an increase in cases involving missing children and adolescents.

According to this system’s figures, from January to date, 32 active records of minors who remain unlocated have been registered, compared to four cases reported in the same period of 2024.

The 32 cases are distributed among the municipalities as follows: 17 in Los Cabos (53.1%), 11 in La Paz (34.4%), three in Mulegé (9.4%), and one in Loreto (3.1%).

This represents a 700% increase in one year. However, local authorities warn that this rise may also be due to a discrepancy between the state and national registries, as well as a phenomenon related to domestic violence.

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Baja California Sur ocupa el onceavo lugar en la tasa de feminicidios a nivel nacional

Peregrinación colectivo de busqueda — Recently, there was a pilgrimage for the victims of disappearance. / Photo: Alberto Cota / El Sudcaliforniano

The head of the State Commission for the Search of Persons in Baja California Sur, Lizeth Collins Collins, explained that this year they have received 150 reports of missing minors across the state, of which 134 have already been located, and 16 still have an active search record.

The official emphasized that in a large portion of the cases they receive, the missing minor is located quickly, often within the first few hours.

Lizeth Collins noted that there is a difference of 16 active records between the state and national registries, which is due to various requirements set by the Government of Mexico in order to authorize a case’s removal from the system.

However, even with this discrepancy between local and federal data, there is still a 300% increase in reports of unlocated minors.

“What we are observing right now is that in the National Registry there are some active cases in which the individuals have already been located; however, due to some required information the National Registry considers mandatory for closing the case, we are still in the process of completing that removal,” she said.

She explained that the National Registry has certain mandatory fields requiring specific information and documents, such as a CURP, a date of birth, or proof of life.

There are many cases in which, from the moment a missing-person report is filed, authorities cannot obtain access to this information or documentation. This, according to the commissioner, makes it difficult to immediately update the status in the National Registry.

For now, she said, they are reviewing each file to ensure that data can be updated between the state and federal levels.

“Among other factors, it has to do with the institution’s own workload, which sometimes causes delays; however, we have been making our best effort—first, to maintain alignment between the State Registry and the National Registry, not only in the case of children and adolescents, but with all reports we receive,” she stated.

On another point, Lizeth Collins emphasized that in the case of Protocolo Alba, which is an immediate search mechanism for missing women, adolescent girls, and girls in Mexico, the system is public and highly visible, and within the first hours the alert is deactivated with the phrase “person located,” according to information published by the State Attorney General’s Office (PGJE) on its official pages.

“As the Commission, we replicate this information on our own page so that the public and everyone involved in these matters can stay informed and have certainty that the minor has been located,” she said.

A phenomenon linked to domestic violence

Regarding what may be causing minors to run away from home or disappear for hours, the commissioner agreed that one of the causes is a phenomenon of domestic violence in households in Baja California Sur.

Particularly in La Paz and Los Cabos, authorities have identified this problem, and they have proposed inter-institutional cooperation strategies to address the situation.

“In the context of these reports, cases of violence have indeed been identified, including conflicts with parents; family disputes that cause minors to leave their homes. There are even cases in which they leave their school grounds and do not return home,” she reiterated.

Evento 25N — Authorities have implemented strategies to eradicate this issue, such as the Purple Task Force (Mesa Violeta) and the ‘Stop the Violence’ initiative (‘Párale a la Violencia’). / Photo: Courtesy / Milena Quiroga Romero

According to the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System (SESNSP), comparing the period from January to October 2023 and 2025, Baja California Sur shows an increase of nearly 10% in criminal investigations opened for domestic violence.

During those months in 2023, 2,565 cases were documented, while in 2025 the number has already reached 2,781.

Authorities from the State Attorney General’s Office (PGJE) have stated in awareness campaigns such as “Stop the Violence” that women and minors are the primary victims of this crime.

The Other Side of the Coin

In an interview with El Sudcaliforniano, Rosalba Ibarra, representative of the collective Búsqueda x San José y Cabo San Lucas, stated that the disappearance of minors is not a new issue in the municipality of Los Cabos and that cases have been reported since 2016.

She emphasized that there are many reasons why a person —including minors— can become a victim of disappearance, ranging from being in the wrong place at the wrong time to associating with the wrong people.

She explained that while it is true that many Alba Protocols are activated due to family-related issues or situations that are not serious, and that these mechanisms are helpful, not all cases are related to domestic violence.

“All those people who disappear due to family issues reappear very quickly, within hours or at most within a week. But the cases that remain unresolved cannot be attributed to family problems,” she stressed.

Based on her experience as a collective leader, she noted that families themselves have warned of possible conflicts that could be linked to organized crime or other forms of violence, raising concerns about life-threatening risks.

“It makes me extremely angry that this narrative is used to justify the failure to locate so many young people here in the municipality,” she said.

She said she does not know the total number of records related to the disappearance of minors in Los Cabos, but emphasized that there are many cases that are not widely known or viralized.

She added that families often face revictimization when attempting to report a disappearance, as they are sometimes blamed and labeled as bad parents for not preventing their children’s disappearance or for not knowing their whereabouts.

“Out of fear, families often do not speak out or make these cases visible. There are many threats, including those coming from the Prosecutor’s Office when you file a report, first making the victims and parents feel guilty for not taking care of their underage children, and so on,” she stated.

Rosalba shared that the collective continues its work while also trying to protect itself due to the risks involved in searching for missing persons. She also urged families to take extra care of children and adolescents and to strengthen family bonds as a method of self-protection.

“Honestly, the only solution I can advise people right now is to take extreme care of their children. It now depends on us, because we know the authorities are not finding people,” she expressed.

Known Cases in BCS

In Baja California Sur, there are cases that have left a deep mark and sparked public outrage. One of them is the case of Lizeth Soto, an eight-year-old girl whose disappearance was reported in October 2012 in the Camino Real neighborhood, south of La Paz.

Melchor Soto, Lizeth’s father, told El Sudcaliforniano that the case has still not been brought to trial and remains inactive. At the time of her disappearance, there was no specialized prosecutor’s office for missing persons in Baja California Sur.

Melchor and his family were even investigated by the State Attorney General’s Office (PGJE), facing accusations that revictimized them and left lasting emotional scars.

Fifteen years later, Melchor continues his search and has not lost hope of finding Lizeth. He also does so on behalf of others, emphasizing that Baja California Sur lacks a State System for Victim Assistance, which prevents access to legal and psychological support as well as financial aid funds.

Another recent case was the disappearance of Xandro Jesús Torres Procopio, a 17-year-old, reported on June 26, 2025, in Cabo San Lucas.

Xandro was accompanied by Pablo Figueroa, 21, at the time he was reported missing. However, the case took a turn on July 30, when the head of the PGJE, Antonio López Rodríguez, announced the arrest of six Municipal Police officers from Los Cabos accused of the disappearance of both young men.

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On August 7, the PGJE confirmed the discovery of both bodies without signs of life. To date, the officers remain in preventive detention, charged with the crime of forced disappearance.

Reports of missing minors increase in Baja California Sur