In 20 of the 106 municipalities of Yucatan, there was a report of at least one missing minor in 2022: 42 in Merida; 5 in Valladolid and Kanasin; 4 in Uman, Tizimin and Progreso, occupying the first three places on the list, according to the report cards of the Amber Alert coordination department of the State Attorney General’s Office (FGE).
The other municipalities on the list are Cuzamá, Panabá, Chemax, Tzucacab, Yaxcabá, Oxkutzcab, Tixcacalcupul, Tecoh, Izamal, Sucilá, Citilmul, Maxcanú, Espita, Tixkokob, including a case reported on the Mérida-Cancún highway.
It is worth mentioning that in 2022 the agency deactivated the search cards of 20 minors who were not located during the established time.
According to international protocols, it can only last for 72 hours and in case of being located before the time limit expires, it will have to be deactivated immediately. In this context, the authorities were able to locate 62 children before the deadline expired.
From January to December 29 of last year, an average of six bulletins were issued per month, five of which had a national scope, among them the case of Oscar Gabriel, a teenager from Veracruz who is in the custody of the State.
Voluntary absences on the peninsula
A large number of the cases of missing minors, according to the same Prosecutor’s Office and the SSP, were “voluntary absences“; young people who decided to leave their families due to differences with their parents, an upset, a scolding or “escaped with their partner” without thinking of the consequences.
Along these lines, it is estimated that the number of reports may be higher due to the fact that not all the reports presented to the Prosecutor’s Office, which works in parallel with the search mechanism, have an “Alert” file and are kept only as “Pre Alert“.
According to the same agency, the difference lies in the fact that the first is to request the public’s help in locating a minor and the second is only sent to the authorities.
TYT Newsroom